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Christian Temperance 


Bv MRS. E. G. WHITE 


k 


AND 


Bible Hygiene 

/ 

By ELD. JAMES WHITE 



BATTLE CREEK MICH. 

Good Health Publishing Company 
1890 



,V( 5 


ENTERED, ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRESS, IN 
THE YEAR 1890, 

By MRS. E. G. WHITE, 

IN THE OFFICE OF THE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS 
AT WASHINGTON. 
















PREFACE. 


Nearly thirty years ago there appeared in print the first of a series of 
remarkable and important articles on the subject of health, by Mrs. E. G. 
White. These articles at once commanded earnest consideration by those 
who were acquainted with Mrs. White’s previous writings and labors. 
Thousands were led to change life-long habits, and to renounce practices 
thoroughly fixed by heredity as well as by long indulgence. So great a 
revolution could not be wrought in a body of people without the aid of some 
powerful incentive, which in this case was undoubtedly the belief that the 
writings referred to not only bore the stamp of truth, but were indorsed as 
such by a higher than human authority. This is not the proper place for 
the consideration of the grounds upon which this belief was based, but the 
reader’s attention is invited to a few facts of interest in this connection : — 

1. At the time the writings referred to first appeared, the subject of 
health was almost wholly ignored, not only by the people to whom they 
were addressed, but by the world at large. 

2. The few advocating the necessity of a reform in physical habits, 
propagated in connection with the advocacy of genuine reformatory princi¬ 
ples the most patent and in some instances disgusting errors. 

3. Nowhere, and by no one, was there presented a systematic and har¬ 
monious body of hygienic truths, free from patent errors, and consistent 
with the Bible and the principles of the Christian religion. 

Under these circumstances, the writings referred to made their appear¬ 
ance. The principles taught were not enforced by scientific authority, but 
were presented in a simple, straightforward manner by one who makes no pre¬ 
tense to scientific knowledge, but claims to write by the aid and authority of 
the divine enlightenment. 

How have the principles presented under such peculiar circumstances 
and with such remarkable claims stood the test of time and experience ? 
is a question which may very properly be asked. Its answer is to be found 
in facts which are capable of the amplest verification. The principles pre¬ 
sented have been put to the test of practical experience by thousands; 
and whenever intelligently and consistently carried out, the result has 
been found in the highest degree satisfactory. Thousands have testified 
to physical, mental, and moral benefits received. Many of the principles 
taught have come to be so generally adopted and practiced that they are no 
longer recognized as reforms, and may, in fact, be regarded as prevalent 
customs among the more intelligent classes. The principles which a quarter 
of a century ago were either entirely ignored or maae the butt of ridicule, 
have quietly won their way into public confidence and esteem, until the 
world has quite forgotten that they have not always been thus accepted. 
New discoveries in science and new interpretations of old facts have contin- 

(iii) 



IV 


PREFACE. 


ually added confirmatory evidence, until at the present time every one of the 
principles advocated more than a quarter of a century ago is fortified in the 
strongest possible manner by scientific evidence. 

Finally, the reformatory movement based upon the principles advocated 
so long ago has lived and prospered until the present time, and the institu¬ 
tions developed by it have grown to be the most extensive and the most 
prosperous establishments of the sort in the world ; while other efforts, look¬ 
ing somewhat in the same direction, but contaminated by error, have either 
abandoned the principles of truth, and been given over to error, or have 
fallen into obscurity. It certainly must be regarded as a thing remarkable, 
and evincing unmistakable evidence of divine insight and direction, that in 
the midst of confused and conflicting teachings, claiming the authority of 
science and experience, but warped by ultra notions and rendered impotent 
for good by the great admixture of error, — it must be admitted to be some¬ 
thing extraordinary, that a person making no claims to scientific knowledge 
or erudition should have been able to organize, from the confused and 
error-tainted mass of ideas advanced by a few writers and thinkers on health 
subjects, a body of hygienic principles so harmonious, so consistent, and so 
genuine that the discussions, the researches, the discoveries, and the expe¬ 
rience of a quarter of a century have not resulted in the overthrow of a 
single principle, but have only served to establish the doctrines taught. 

The guidance of infinite wisdom is as much needed in discerning between 
truth and error as in the evolution of new truths. Novelty is by no means a 
distinguishing characteristic of true principles, and the principle holds good 
as regards the truths of hygienic reform, as well as those of other reformatory 
movements. The greatest and most important reformatory movements of 
modern times have not been those which presented new facts and princi¬ 
ples, but those which revived truths and principles long forgotten, and which 
have led the way back to the paths trodden by men of by-gone ages, before 
the world had wandered so far away from physical and moral rectitude. 

This book is not a new presentation of the principles referred to in the 
above paragraphs, but is simply a compilation, and in some sense an 
abstract, of the various writings of Mrs. White upon this subject, to 
which have been added several articles, by Elder James White, elucidating 
the same principles, and the personal experience of Elders J. N. Andrews 
and Joseph Bates, two of the pioneers in the health movement among Sev¬ 
enth-day Adventists. The work of compilation has been done under the 
supervision of Mrs. White, by a committee appointed by her for the purpose, 
and the manuscript has been carefully examined by her. 

The purpose in the preparation of this volume has been to gather 
together, in a condensed form, writings which were scattered through various 
volumes, and some that have never before appeared in print, so that the 
teachings of Mrs. White upon this subject might reach as large a number as 
possible of those for whom they were specially intended ; and it is confi¬ 
dently believed that the work will receive a cordial reception, and the earnest 
consideration which its importance demands. 


CONTENTS. 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 

General Principles. 7 

Our Reasonable Service. 15 

Effects of Stimulants. 25 

Relation of Diet to Health and Morals. 41 

Extremes in Diet. 55 

Home Education. 60 

Overburdened Housekeepers . 73 

Parental Responsibility. 75 

Education and Health. 81 

Dress. 85 

General Hygiene. 96 

False Impressions Concerning Experience. 109 

Consulting Spiritualist Physicians. 111 

Our Present Work. 117 

Mental Inebriates. 123 

Social Purity. 127 

Cleanliness an Aid to Purity. 141 

Hope for the Tempted. 146 

Fragments. 15° 


BIBLE HYGIENE. 

Introduction. 163 

Food, Air, and Exercise. 169 

Diet and Cleanliness of the Hebrews. 177 

( v ) 


























VI 


CONTENTS. 


The Appetite in Human History. 186 

The Power of Appetite. 193 

Appetite Controllable. 197 

The Gospel of Health. 202 

Redemption. 207 

Hygienic Reform : Its Rise and Progress among Seventh- 

day Adventists. 211 

Personal Experience. 237 










Christian Temperance 


GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 

Man came from the hand of his Creator perfect in 
organization and beautiful in form. The fact that he has 
for six thousand years withstood the ever-increasing 
weight of disease and crime is conclusive proof of the 
power of endurance with which he was first endowed. 
And although the antediluvians generally gave them¬ 
selves up to sin without restraint, it was more than two 
thousand years before the violation of natural law was 
sensibly felt. Had Adam originally possessed no greater 
physical power than men now have, the race would ere 
this have become extinct. 

Through the successive generations since the fall, the 
tendency has been continually downward. Disease has 
been transmitted from parents to children, generation 
after generation. Even infants in the cradle suffer from 
afflictions caused by the sins of their parents. 

Moses, the first historian, gives quite a definite account 
of social and individual life in the early days of the 
world’s history, but we find no record that an infant was 
born blind, deaf, crippled, or imbecile. Not an instance 
is recorded of a natural death in infancy, childhood, or 
early manhood. Obituary notices in the book of Genesis 
run thus: “ And all the days that Adam lived were nine 
hundred and thirty years ; and he died.” “ And all the 
days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years ; and he 
died.” Concerning others the record states, “ He died in 
a good old age, an old man, and full of years.” It was 
so rare for a son to die before his father, that such an 
occurrence was considered worthy of record : “ Haran died 

(7) 



8 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


before his father Terah.”* The patriarchs from Adam to 
Noah, with few exceptions, lived nearly a thousand years. 
Since then the average length of life has been decreasing. 

At the time of Christ’s first advent, the race had 
already so degenerated that not only the old, but the 
middle-aged and the young, were brought from every 
city to the Saviour, to be healed of their diseases. Many 
labored under a weight of misery inexpressible. 

The violation of physical law, with its consequent suffer¬ 
ing and premature death, has so long prevailed that these re¬ 
sults are regarded as the appointed lot of humanity; but 
God did not create the race in such a feeble condition. This 
state of things is not the work of Providence, but of man. 
It has been brought about by wrong habits, — by violating 
the laws that God has made to govern man’s existence. 
A continual transgression of nature’s laws is a continual 
transgression of the law of God. Had men always been 
obedient to the law of the ten commandments, carrying 
out in their lives the principles of those precepts, the curse 
of disease now flooding the world would not exist. 

“ Know ye not that your body is the temple of the 
Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and 
ye are not your own? for ye are bought with a price; 
therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, 
which are God’s.”f When men take any course which 
needlessly expends their vitality or beclouds their intel¬ 
lect, they sin against God ; they do not glorify him in 
their body and spirit, which are his. 

Yet despite the insult which man has offered him, 
God’s love is still extended to the face ; and he permits 
light to shine, enabling man to see that in order to live 
a perfect life he must obey the natural laws which 
govern his being. How important, then, that man should 
walk in this light, exercising all his powers, both of body 
and mind, to the glory of God ! 

We are in a world that is opposed to righteousness, 
or purity of character, and especially to growth in grace. 
Wherever we look, we see defilement and corruption, de- 

< Gen. 5 : 5, 8; 25 : 8 ; 11: 28. 


1 1 Cor. 6 : 19. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


9 


formity and sin. How opposed is all this to the work 
that must be accomplished in us just previous to receiv¬ 
ing the gift of immortality ! God’s elect must stand un¬ 
tainted amid the corruptions teeming around them in 
these last days. Their bodies must be made holy, their 
spirits pure. If this work is to be accomplished, it must 
be undertaken at once, earnestly and understandingly. 
The Spirit of God should have perfect control, influencing 
every action. 

The health reform is one branch of the great work 
which is to fit a people for the coming of the Lord. It 
is as closely connected with the third angel’s message as 
the hand is with the body. The law of ten command¬ 
ments has been lightly regarded by man ; yet the Lord 
will not come to punish the transgressors of that law 
without first sending them a message of warning. Men 
and women cannot violate natural law by indulging de¬ 
praved appetite and lustful passions, without violating the 
law of God. Therefore he has permitted the light of 
health reform to shine upon us, that we may realize the 
sinfulness of breaking the laws which he has established 
in our very being. Our heavenly Father sees the deplora¬ 
ble condition of men who, many of them ignorantly, are 
disregarding the principles of hygiene. And it is in love 
and pity to the race that he causes the light to shine 
upon health reform. He publishes his law and its penal¬ 
ties, in order that all may learn what is for their highest 
good. He proclaims his law so distinctly, and makes it 
so prominent, that it is like a city set on a hill. All in¬ 
telligent beings can understand it if they will. None 
■others are responsible. To make natural law plain, and 
to urge obedience to it, is a work that accompanies the 
third angel’s message. 

Ignorance is no excuse now for the transgression of 
law. The light shines clearly, and none need be ignorant; 
for the great God himself is man’s instructor. All are 
bound by the most sacred obligations to heed the sound 
philosophy and genuine experience which God is now 


io CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 

giving them in reference to health reform. He designs 
that the subject shall be agitated, and the public mind 
^deeply stirred to investigate it; for it is impossible for 
men and women, while under the power of sinful, health- 
destroying, brain-enervating habits, to appreciate sacred 
truth. Those who are willing to inform themselves con¬ 
cerning the effect which sinful indulgence has upon the 
health, and who begin the work of reform, even from 
selfish motives, may in so doing place themselves where 
the truth of God can reach their hearts. And, on the 
other hand, those who have been reached by the presen¬ 
tation of Scripture truth are in a position where the con¬ 
science may be aroused upon the subject of health. They 
see and feel the necessity of breaking away from the 
tyrannizing habits and appetites which have ruled them 
so long. There are many who would receive the truths 
of God’s word, their judgment having been convinced by 
the clearest evidence ; but the carnal desires, clamoring 
for gratification, control the intellect, and they reject 
truth because it conflicts with their lustful desires. The 
minds of many take so low a level that God cannot work 
either for them or with them. The current of their 
thoughts must be changed, their moral sensibilities must 
be aroused, before they can feel the claims of God. 

The apostle Paul exhorts the church, “ I beseech you 
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye pre¬ 
sent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto 
God, which is your reasonable service.” * Sinful indulgence 
defiles the body, and unfits men for spiritual worship. 
He who cherishes the light which God has given him 
upon health reform, has an important aid in the work of’ 
becoming sanctified through the truth, and fitted for im¬ 
mortality. But if he disregards that light, and lives in 
violation of natural law, he must pay the penalty; his 
spiritual powers are benumbed, and how can he perfect 
holiness in the fear of God ? 

Men have polluted the soul-temple, and God calls upon 
them to awake, and to strive with all their might to win 


♦Rom. 12:1. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


II 


back their God-given manhood. Nothing but the grace 
of God can convict and convert the heart; from him 
alone can the slaves of custom obtain power to break 
the shackles that bind them. It is impossible for a man 
to present his body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to 
God, while continuing to indulge habits that are depriv¬ 
ing him of physical, mental, and moral vigor. Again the 
apostle says, “ Be not conformed to this world ; but be 
ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye 
may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect 
will of God.” * 

Jesus, seated on the Mount of Olives, gave instruction 
to his disciples concerning the signs which should pre¬ 
cede his coming: “As the days of Noah were, so shall 
also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the 
days that were before the flood they were eating and 
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day 
that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the 
flood came and took them all away; so shall also the 
coming of the Son of man be.” f The same sins that 
brought judgments upon the world in the days of Noah, 
exist in our day. Men and women now carry their eat¬ 
ing and drinking so far that it ends in gluttony and 
drunkenness. This prevailing sin, the indulgence of per¬ 
verted appetite, inflamed the passions of men in the days 
of Noah, and led to wide-spread corruption. Violence 
and sin reached to heaven. This moral pollution was 
finally swept from the earth by means of the flood. The 
same sins of gluttony and drunkenness benumbed the 
moral sensibilities of the inhabitants of Sodom, so that 
crime seemed to be the delight of the men and women 
lof that wicked city. Christ thus warns the world : “ Like¬ 
wise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat,, 
they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they 
builded ; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom 
it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed 
them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the 
Son of man is revealed.” X 

* Rom. 12 : 2 . t Matt. 24 :37~39. X Luke 17 :28-30. 


12 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


Christ has here left us a most important lesson. He 
would lay before us the danger of making our eating and 
drinking paramount. He presents the result of unre¬ 
strained indulgence of appetite. The moral powers are 
enfeebled, so that sin does not appear sinful. Crime is 
lightly regarded, and passion controls the mind, until good 
principles and impulses are rooted out, and God is blas¬ 
phemed. All this is the result of eating and drinking to 
excess. This is the very condition of things which Christ 
declares will exist at his second coming. 
v The Saviour presents to us something higher to toil 
for than merely what we shall eat and drink, and where¬ 
withal we shall be clothed. Eating, drinking, and dress¬ 
ing are carried to such excess that they become crimes. 
They are among the marked sins of the last days, and 
constitute a sign of Christ’s soon coming. Time, money, 
and strength, which belong to the Lord, but which he has 
intrusted to us, are wasted in superfluities of dress and 
luxuries for the perverted appetite, which lessen vitality, 
and bring suffering and decay. It is impossible to pre¬ 
sent our bodies a living sacrifice to God when we con¬ 
tinually fill them with corruption and disease by our own 
sinful indulgence. 

Knowledge must be gained in regard to how to eat 
and drink and dress so as to preserve health. Sickness 
is the result of violating nature’s law. Our first duty, one 
which we owe to God, to ourselves, and to our fellow- 
men, is to obey the laws of God. These include the laws 
of health. If we are sick, we impose a weary tax upon 
our friends, and unfit ourselves for doing our duty either 
in the family or to our neighbors. And when premature 
death is the result, we bring sorrow and suffering to 
others; we deprive our neighbors of the help we might 
have rendered them ; we rob our families of the comfort 
and help which they should have received from us, and 
rob God of the service he claims of us to advance his 
glory. Then are we not, in a high sense, transgressors 
of God’s law? 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


13 


But God is compassionate and tender, and when light 
comes to those who have injured themselves by sinful in¬ 
dulgence, if they repent and seek pardon, he mercifully 
accepts them. But what an inferior, pitiful offering at 
best, to present to a pure and holy God ! O, what ten¬ 
der mercy, that he does not refuse the poor remnant of 
the life of the suffering, repenting sinner ! Praise be to 
God, who saves such souls as by fire ! 

The view held by some that spirituality is a detri¬ 
ment to health, is the sophistry of Satan. The religion 
of the Bible is not detrimental to the health of either 
body or mind. The influence of the Spirit of God is the 
very best medicine for disease. Heaven is all health ; and 
the more deeply heavenly influences are realized, the more 
sure will be the recovery of the believing invalid. The 
true principles of Christianity open before all a source of 
inestimable happiness. Religion is a continual well-spring, 
from which the Christian can drink at will, and never 
exhaust the fountain. 

The relation which exists between the mind and the 
body is very intimate. When one is affected, the other 
sympathizes. The condition of the mind affects the health 
of the physical system. If the mind is free and happy, 
from a consciousness of right-doing and a sense of satis¬ 
faction in causing happiness to others, it creates a cheer¬ 
fulness that will react upon the whole system, causing a 
freer circulation of the blood, and a toning up of the en¬ 
tire body. The blessing of God is a healing power, and 
those who are abundant in benefiting others will realize 
that wondrous blessing in both heart and life. 

When men who have indulged in wrong habits and 
sinful practices yield to the power of divine truth, the 
application of that truth to the heart revives the moral 
powers, which had seemed to be paralyzed. The receiver 
possesses stronger, clearer understanding than before he 
riveted his soul to the eternal Rock. Even his physical 
health improves by the realization of his security in Christ. 
The special blessing of God resting upon the receiver is 
of itself health and strength. 


14 CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 

Those who walk in the path of wisdom and holiness, 
find that “ godliness is profitable unto all things, having 
promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to 
come.”* They are alive to the enjoyment of life’s real pleas¬ 
ures, and are not troubled with vain regrets over misspent 
hours, nor with gloomy forebodings, as the worldling too 
often is when not diverted by some exciting amusement. 
Godliness does not conflict with the laws of health, but is 
in harmony with them. The fear of the Lord is the foun¬ 
dation of all real prosperity. 


* x Tim. 4 : 8. 


OUR REASONABLE SERVICE. 


“ I BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of 
God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, 
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
And be not conformed to this world, but be ye trans¬ 
formed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove 
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”* 

In the ancient Jewish service it was required that every 
sacrifice should be without blemish. In the text we are 
told to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, accept¬ 
able unto God, which is our reasonable service. We are 
God’s workmanship. The psalmist, meditating upon the 
marvelous work of God in the human frame, exclaimed, 
“I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”t There are many 
who are educated in the sciences, and are familiar with 
the theory of the truth, who do not understand the laws 
that govern their own being. God has given us faculties 
and talents ; and it is our duty, as his sons and daughters, 
to make the best use of them. If we weaken these powers 
of mind or body by wrong habits or indulgence of per¬ 
verted appetite, it will be impossible for us to honor God 
as we should. 

We can understand the value of the human soul only 
as we realize the greatness of the sacrifice made for its 
redemption. The word of God declares that we are not 
our own, that we are bought with a price. It is at an 
immense cost that we have been placed upon vantage 
ground, where we can find liberty from the bondage of 
sin wrought by the fall in Eden. Adam’s sin plunged the 
race into hopeless misery ; but by the sacrifice of the Son 
of God, a second probation was granted to man. In the 
plan of redemption a way of escape is provided for all 
who will avail themselves of it. God knew that it was 
impossible for man to overcome in his own strength, and 

+ Ps. 139:14. ( 15 ) 


*Rom. 12 :1, 2. 



16 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


he has provided help for him. How thankful we should 
be that a way is open for us, by which we can have 
access to the Father; that the gates are left ajar, so that 
beams of light from the glory within may shine upon 
those who will receive them ! 

Christ began the work of redemption just where the 
ruin began. His first test was on the same point where 
Adam failed. It was through temptations addressed to 
the appetite that Satan had overcome a large proportion 
of the human race, and his success had made him feel 
that the control of this fallen planet was in his hands. 
But in Christ he found one who was able to resist him, 
and he left the field of battle a conquered foe. Jesus 
says, He “hath nothing in me.”* His victory is an as¬ 
surance that we too may come off victors in our conflicts 
with the enemy. But it is not our heavenly Father’s pur¬ 
pose to save us without an effort on our part to co-operate 
with Christ. We must act our part, and divine power, 
uniting with our effort, will bring victory. 

We meet intemperance everywhere. We see it on the 
cars, the steamboats, and wherever we go ; and we should 
ask ourselves what we are doing to rescue souls from the 
tempter’s grasp. Satan is constantly on the alert to bring 
the race fully under his control. His strongest hold on 
man is through the appetite, and this he seeks to stimu¬ 
late in every possible way. All unnatural excitants are 
harmful, and they cultivate the desire for liquor. How 
can we enlighten the people, and prevent the terrible 
evils that result from the use of these things ? Have we 
done all that we can do in this direction ? 

Some will say that it is impossible to reclaim the 
drunkard, that efforts in this direction have failed again 
and again. But although we cannot reclaim all who have 
gone so far, we may do something to check the growth 
of the evil. I appeal to you, parents, to begin with your 
children, and give them a right education. Seek to bring 
them up so that they shall have moral stamina to resist 
the evil that surrounds them. The lesson of self-control 


♦John 14 :30. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


1/ 


must begin with the child in its mothers arms. It must 
learn to restrain passionate temper, to bring its will into 
subjection, and to deny unhealthful cravings. 

Teach your children to abhor stimulants. How many 
are ignorantly fostering in them an appetite for these 
things ! In Europe I have seen nurses putting the glass 
of wine or beer to the lips of the innocent little ones, 
thus cultivating in them a taste for stimulants. As they 
grow older, they learn to depend more and more on these 
things, till little by little they are overcome, drift beyond 
the reach of help, and at last fill a drunkard’s grave. 

But it is not thus alone that the appetite is perverted 
and made a snare. The food is often such as to excite a 
desire for stimulating drinks. Luxurious dishes are placed 
before the children,— spiced foods, rich gravies, cakes, and 
pastries. This highly seasoned food irritates the stomach, 
and causes a craving for still stronger stimulants. Not 
only is the appetite tempted with unsuitable food, of which 
the children are allowed to eat freely at their meals, but 
they are permitted to eat between meals, and by the time 
they are twelve or fourteen years of age they are often 
confirmed dyspeptics. 

You have perhaps seen a picture of the stomach of 
one who is addicted to strong drink. A similar condition 
is produced under the irritating influence of fiery spices. 
With the stomach in such a state, there is a craving for 
something more to meet the demands of the appetite,, 
something stronger, and still stronger. Next you find 
your sons out on the street learning to smoke. It is a 
grievous lesson; it makes them deathly sick. Yet they 
press the matter through with a perseverance that would 
be praiseworthy in a better cause. Tobacco weakens the 
brain, and paralyzes its fine sensibilities. Its use excites 
a thirst for strong drink, and in very many cases lays 
the foundation for the liquor habit. 

The use of tobacco is an inconvenient, expensive, 
uncleanly habit. The teachings of Christ, pointing to 
purity, self-denial, and temperance, all rebuke this defiling 


is 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


practice. When we think of the long fast that Jesus en¬ 
dured in the wilderness of temptation in order to break 
the power of appetite over man, we marvel that those 
who profess to be his followers can indulge in this habit. 
Is it for the glory of God for men to enfeeble the physi¬ 
cal powers, confuse the brain, and yield the will to this 
narcotic poison ? What right have they to mar the image 
of God ? What says the apostle? — “ I beseech you there¬ 
fore; brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your 
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which 
is your reasonable service.” 

A great responsibility rests upon us. We cannot ren¬ 
der to God true service unless we present our bodies a 
living sacrifice. No one can be justified in marring this 
wonderfully intricate human organism. If we do this, not 
only do we suffer ourselves, but the evil is transmitted to 
our children. Can we wonder that the children who have 
such a legacy do not fear God ? How often do we see boys 
not more than eight years old using tobacco! If you 
speak to them about it, they say, “ My father uses it, 
and if it does him good, it will me.” They point to the 
minister or the Sunday-school superintendent, and say, 
“If such good men as they use it, surely I can.” How 
can we expect anything else of the children, with their 
inherited tendencies, while the older ones set them such 
an example ? God pity the poor slave to these indul¬ 
gences ! 

Both tobacco and liquor break down nerve force, and 
dull the finer perceptions, so that the slaves to these 
habits cannot discern between sacred and common things. 
An example of the demoralizing effect of intoxicants is 
seen in the case of Nadab and Abihu. They ventured 
to partake of wine before they entered the tabernacle to 
perform the duties of their sacred office, and the result 
was, they could not distinguish between common fire and 
that which was consecrated to the holy service. For this 
breach of trust they were slain. Some will say, “ If they 
were intoxicated, and could not discern the difference be- 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


19 


tween these fires, why should they be punished ? ” When 
they placed the cup to their lips, they made themselves 
responsible for all their deeds committed while under its 
influence. 

How is it with our law makers, and the men in our 
courts of justice ? If it was necessary that those who 
ministered in holy office should have clear minds and full 
control of their reason, is it not also important that those 
who make and execute the laws of our great nation should 
have their faculties unclouded ? What about the judges 
and jurors, in whose hands rests the disposing of human 
life, and whose decisions may condemn the innocent, or 
turn the criminal loose upon society ? Do they not need 
to have full control of their mental powers ? Are they 
temperate in their habits ? If not, they are not fit for 
such responsible positions. When the appetites are per¬ 
verted, the mental powers are weakened, and there is 
danger that men will not rule justly. Is indulgence in 
that which beclouds the mind less dangerous to-day than 
when God placed restrictions upon those who ministered 
in holy office ? 

Christ fought the battle upon the point of appetite, 
and came off victorious ; and we also can conquer through 
strength derived from him. Who will enter in through the 
gates into the city? — Not those who declare that they 
cannot break the force of appetite. Christ has resisted 
the power of him who would hold us in bondage ; though 
weakened by his long fast of forty days, he withstood 
temptation, and proved by this act that our cases are 
not hopeless. I know that we cannot obtain the victory 
alone ; and how thankful we should be that we have a 
living Saviour, who is ready and willing to aid us! 

I recall the case of a man in a congregation that I 
was once addressing. He was almost wrecked in body 
and mind by the use of liquor and tobacco. He was 
bowed down from the effects of dissipation ; and his dress 
was in keeping with his shattered condition. To all ap¬ 
pearance he had gone too far to be reclaimed. But as I 


20 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


appealed to him to resist temptation in the strength of a 
risen Saviour, he rose tremblingly, and said, “You have 
an interest for me, and I will have an interest for my¬ 
self.” Six months afterward he came to my house. I did 
not recognize him. With a countenance beaming with joy, 
and eyes overflowing with tears, he grasped my hand, and 
said, “You do not know me, but you remember the man 
in an old blue coat who rose in your congregation, and 
said that he would try to reform?” I was astonished. 
He stood erect, and looked ten years younger. He had 
gone home from that meeting, and passed the long hours 
in prayer and struggle till the sun arose. It was a night 
of conflict, but, thank God, he came off a victor. This 
man could tell by sad experience of the bondage of these 
evil habits. He knew how to warn the youth of the dan¬ 
gers of contamination ; and those who, like himself, had 
been overcome, he could point to Christ as the only 
source of help. 

In my travels I have witnessed scenes of feasting and 
revelry ; and as I have marked the effects of unrestrained 
indulgence, as I have listened to the blasphemous mirth, 
and seen the indifference and even contempt for all things 
sacred, I have thought of the sacrilegious feast of Bel¬ 
shazzar, to which were invited a thousand of his lords, 
his princes, his wives, and his concubines,— that feast 
where wine was freely drunk from the sacred vessels of 
the temple of God, while the revelers sang the praises 
of their gods of silver and gold. They knew not that 
an unseen Watcher heard every word of blasphemy, be¬ 
held every impious action. 

In the midst of the revelry, Belshazzar saw the blood¬ 
less hand of an uninvited guest tracing upon the wall of 
the palace words that gleamed like fire,— words which, 
though unknown to that vast throng, were a portent of 
doom to the now conscience-stricken revelers. The bois¬ 
terous mirth was hushed, and they shook with a nameless 
terror as their eyes fastened upon the wall. Where but 
a few moments before had been hilarity and blasphemous' 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


21 


witticism, were pallid faces and cries of fear. A wild cry 
from the frantic king rang out in the assembly, calling 
for some one to come and read the writing. The wise 
men were called in, but those mystic characters were as 
strange to them as to the others. 

Then the queen-mother remembered Daniel, who, so 
many years before, had made known to king Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar his forgotten dream and its interpretation. Stand¬ 
ing before that gorgeous, terror-stricken throng, the prophet 
of God reminded the king of Nebuchadnezzar’s sin and fall, 
and reproved him for his own crimes. Then turning to 
the writing on the wall, he read the message from Heaven. 
The hand was gone, but four terrible words were left. 
With bated breath the people waited as Daniel announced 
their meaning: “ Mene, Mene , Tekel , Upharsin “God 
hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it ; ” “ thou 
art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting;” 
“thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and 
Persians.” * 

Just as surely as there was a Witness at the feast of 
Belshazzar, there is also a Witness in every scene of sac¬ 
rilegious mirth, and just as surely is the recording angel 
' writing, “ Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found 
wanting.” 

Intemperance is on the increase, in spite of the efforts 
made to control it. We cannot be too earnest in seeking 
to hinder its progress, to raise the fallen, and shield the 
weak from temptation. With our feeble human hands we 
can do but little, but we have an unfailing Helper. We 
must not forget that the arm of Christ can reach to the 
very depths of human woe and degradation. He can give 
us help to conquer even this terrible demon of intem¬ 
perance. 

But it is in the home that the real work must begin. 
The greatest burden rests upon those who have the re¬ 
sponsibility of educating the youth, of forming their char¬ 
acter. Here is a work for mothers, in helping their 
children to form correct habits and pure tastes, to develop 


* Dan. 5 : 25-28. 


22 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


moral stamina, true moral worth. Teach them that they 
are not to be swayed by others, that they are not to 
yield to wrong influences, but to influence others for good, 
to ennoble and elevate those with whom they associate. 
Teach them that if they connect themselves with God, 
they will have strength from him to resist the fiercest 
temptations. 

In the Babylonian court, Daniel was surrounded by 
allurements to sin, but by the help of Christ he main¬ 
tained his integrity. He who cannot resist temptation, 
with every facility which has been placed within his reach, 
is not registered in the books of heaven as a man. The 
Lord never places men in positions so trying that it is 
beyond their power to withstand evil. Divine power is 
ever ready to protect and strengthen him who has been 
made a partaker of the divine nature. 

Temptations to the indulgence of appetite possess a 
power which can be overcome only by the help that God 
can impart. But with every temptation we have the prom¬ 
ise of God that there shall be a way of escape. Why, 
then, are so many overcome ? It is because they do not 
put their trust in God. They do not avail themselves of 
the means provided for their safety. The excuses offered 
for the gratification of perverted appetite, are therefore 
of no weight with God. 

Daniel valued his human capabilities, but he did not 
trust in them. His trust was in that strength which God 
has promised to all who will come to him in humble de¬ 
pendence, relying wholly upon his power. 

He purposed in his heart that he would not defile him¬ 
self with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the 
wine which he drank ; for he knew that such a diet would 
not strengthen his physical powers or increase his mental 
capability. He would not use wine, nor any other unnat¬ 
ural stimulant; he would do nothing to becloud his mind ; 
and God gave him “knowledge and skill in all learning 
and wisdom,” and also “ understanding in all visions and 
dreams.”* 


* Dan. i : 17. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


23 


In later years the cares of state were heavy upon him, 
he was taxed to the utmost of his capacity ; but he grew 
strong in the conflict with difficulties. He held fast by 
the hand of Infinite Strength, and would not be overcome. 
He knew that in order to do his work well, he must have 
help from God. He realized that amid his trials and per¬ 
secutions he could not walk apart from God one hour. 
He prayed three times a day, and God answered his 
prayers. Daniel’s purpose was known to the heavenly 
Watcher, and as Daniel placed himself on the side of 
God, to keep his ways, th$ Lord placed himself on Dan¬ 
iel’s side, to keep him. 

Daniel’s parents had trained him in his childhood to 
habits of strict temperance. They had taught him that 
he must conform to nature’s laws in all his habits ; that 
his eating and drinking had a direct influence upon his 
physical, mental, and moral nature, and that he was ac¬ 
countable to God for his capabilities ; for he held them 
all as a gift from God, and must not, by any course of 
action, dwarf or cripple them. As the result of this teach¬ 
ing, the law of God was exalted in his mind, and rever¬ 
enced in his heart. During the early years of his captivity, 
Daniel was passing through an ordeal which was to famil¬ 
iarize him with courtly grandeur, with hypocrisy, and with 
paganism. A strange school indeed to fit him for a life 
of sobriety, industry, and faithfulness ! And yet he lived 
uncorrupted by the atmosphere of evil with which he was 
surrounded. 

The experience of Daniel and his youthful companions 
illustrates the benefits that may result from an abstemious 
diet, and shows what God will do for those who will co¬ 
operate with him in the purifying and uplifting of the 
soul. They were an honor to God, and a bright and 
shining light in the court of Babylon. 

In this history we hear the voice of God addressing 
us individually, bidding us gather up all the precious rays 
of light upon this subject of Christian temperance, and 
place ourselves in right relation to the laws of health. 


24 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


We want a share in the eternal inheritance. We want a 
place in the city of God, free from every impurity. All 
heaven is watching to see how we are fighting the battle 
against temptation. Let all who profess the name of 
Christ so walk before the world that they may teach by 
example as well as precept the principles of true living. 
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, 
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, accept¬ 
able unto God, which is your reasonable service.” 


EFFECTS OF STIMULANTS. 


“ Know ye not that they which run in a race run 
all, but one receiveth the prize ? So run, that ye may 
obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is 
temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a 
corruptible crown ; but we an incorruptible.” * 

Here the good results of self-control and temperate 
habits are set forth. The various games instituted among 
the ancient Greeks in honor of their gods, are pre¬ 
sented before us by the apostle Paul to illustrate the 
spiritual warfare and its reward. Those who were to 
participate in these games were trained by the most 
severe discipline. Every indulgence that would tend to 
weaken the physical powers was forbidden. Luxurious 
food and wine were prohibited, in order to promote phys¬ 
ical vigor, fortitude, and firmness. 

To win the prize for which they strove, — a chaplet 
of perishable flowers, bestowed amid the applause of the 
multitude, — was considered the highest honor. If so 
much could be endured, so much self-denial practiced, in 
the hope of gaining so worthless a prize, which only one 
at best could obtain, how much greater should be the 
sacrifice, how much more willing the self-denial, for an 
incorruptible crown, and for everlasting life ! 

There is work for us to do—stern, earnest work. All 
our habits, tastes, and inclinations must be educated in 
harmony with the laws of life and health. By this means 
we may secure the very best physical conditions, and 
have mental clearness to discern between the evil and the 
good. 

In order rightly to understand the subject of temper¬ 
ance, we must consider it from a Bible standpoint; and 
nowhere can we find a more comprehensive and forcible 
illustration of true temperance and its attendant blessings, 


* i Cor. 9 :24, 25. 


( 25 ) 


26 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


than is afforded by the history of the prophet Daniel and 
his Hebrew associates in the court of Babylon. 

When these youth were selected to be educated in 
the “ learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans,” that they 
might “stand in the king’s palace,” there was appointed 
them a daily allowance from the king’s table, both of 
food and wine. “ But Daniel purposed in his heart that 
he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s 
meat, nor with the wine which he drank.” * 

The food appointed them would include meats pro¬ 
nounced unclean by the law of Moses. They requested 
the officer who had them in charge to give them a more 
simple fare ; but he hesitated, fearing that such rigid ab¬ 
stinence as they proposed would affect their personal ap¬ 
pearance unfavorably, and bring himself into disfavor 
with the king. Daniel pleaded for a ten days’ trial. 
This was granted ; and at the expiration of that time 
these youth were found to be far more healthy in ap¬ 
pearance than were those who had partaken of the king’s 
dainties. Hence the simple “pulse and water” which they 
at first requested, was thereafter the food of Daniel and 
his companions. 

It was not their own pride or ambition that had 
brought these young men into the king’s court, — into the 
companionship of those who neither knew nor feared the 
true God. They were captives in a strange land, and In¬ 
finite Wisdom had placed them there. At this trial of 
their loyalty, they considered their position, with its dan¬ 
gers and difficulties, and then in the fear of God made 
their decision. Even at the risk of the king’s displeasure, 
they would be true to the religion of their fathers. They 
obeyed the divine law, both physical and moral, and the 
blessing of God gave them strength and comeliness and 
intellectual power. 

These youth had received a right education in early 
life ; and now, when separated from home influences and 
sacred associations, they honored the instructors of their 
childhood. With their habits of self-denial were coupled 

* See Daniel i. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


2 7 


earnestness of purpose, diligence, and steadfastness. They 
were not actuated by pride or unworthy ambition ; but 
sought to acquit themselves creditably, for the honor of 
their down-trodden people, and for His glory whose serv¬ 
ants they were. 

When the ability and acquirements of these youth 
were tested by the king at the end of the three years of 
training, none were found like unto Daniel, Hananiah, 
Mishael, and Azariah. Their keen apprehension, their 
choice and exact language, their extensive and varied 
knowledge, testified to the unimpaired strength and vigor 
of their mental powers. Therefore they stood before the 
king. “ And in all matters of understanding that the 
king inquired of them, he found them ten times better 
than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all 
his realm.” 

God always honors the right. The most promising 
youth from all the lands subdued by the great conqueror 
had been gathered at Babylon, yet amid them all, the 
Hebrew captives were without a rival. The erect form,, 
the firm, elastic step, the fair countenance, the undimmed 
senses, the untainted breath, — all were so many certifi¬ 
cates of good habits — insignia of the nobility with which 
nature honors those who are obedient to her laws. 

The history of Daniel and his companions has been 
recorded on the pages of the inspired word, for the bene¬ 
fit of the youth of all succeeding ages. What men have 
done, men may do. Did those youthful Hebrews stand 
firm amid great temptations, and bear a noble testimony 
in favor of true temperance ? — the youth of to-day may 
bear a similar testimony. 

The lesson here presented is one which we would do 
well to ponder. Our danger is not from scarcity, but 
from abundance. We are constantly tempted to excess. 
Those who would preserve their powers unimpaired for 
the service of God, must observe strict temperance in the 
use of his bounties, as well as total abstinence from every 
injurious or debasing indulgence. 


28 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


The rising generation are surrounded with allurements 
calculated to tempt the appetite. Especially in our large 
cities, every form of indulgence is made easy and invit¬ 
ing. Those who, like Daniel, refuse to defile themselves, 
will reap the reward of their temperate habits. With 
their greater physical stamina and increased power of en¬ 
durance, they have a bank of deposit upon which to draw 
in case of emergency. 

Right physical habits promote mental superiority. In¬ 
tellectual power, physical strength, and longevity depend 
upon immutable laws. There is no happen-so, no chance, 
about this matter. Nature’s God will not interfere to pre¬ 
serve men from the consequences of violating nature’s laws. 
There is much sterling truth in the adage, “Every man 
is the architect of his own fortune.” While parents are 
responsible for the stamp of character, as well as for 
the education and training, of their sons and daughters, 
it is still true that our position and usefulness in the 
world depend, to a great degree, upon our own course 
of action. Daniel and his companions enjoyed the bene¬ 
fits of correct training and education in early life, but 
these advantages alone would not have made them what 
they were. The time came when they must act for them¬ 
selves— when their future depended upon their own course. 
Then they decided to be true to the lessons given them 
in childhood. The fear of God, which is the beginning of 
wisdom, was the foundation of their greatness. His Spirit 
strengthened every true purpose, every noble resolution. 

Intemperance has cursed the world almost from its 
infancy. Noah’s son was so debased by the excessive use 
of wine that he lost all sense of propriety, and the curse 
which followed his sin has never been lifted from his de¬ 
scendants. 

Nadab and Abihu were men in holy office ; but by 
the use of wine their minds became so clouded that they 
could not distinguish between sacred and common things. 
By the offering of “strange fire” they disregarded God’s 
command, and were slain by his judgments. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


2 9 

Alexander found it much easier to subdue kingdoms 
than to rule his own spirit. After conquering nations, 
this so-called great man fell through the indulgence of 
appetite, — a victim of intemperance. 

Notwithstanding thousands of years of experience and 
progress, the same dark blot which stained the first pages 
of history remains to disfigure our modern civilization. 
Drunkenness, with all its woes, is found everywhere we 
go. In spite of the noble efforts of temperance work¬ 
ers, the evil has gained ground. License laws have 
been enacted, but legal regulation has not stayed its prog¬ 
ress, except in comparatively limited territory. Efforts 
have been made to establish institutions where the vic¬ 
tims of intemperance might receive help to overcome 
their terrible appetite. This is a noble work, but how 
much wiser, how much more effective, would have been 
the removal of the cause of all this woe ! Considering 
only the financial aspect of this question, what folly it 
is to tolerate a business that is making paupers by the 
thousand ! The laws of the land legalize the trade of 
making drunkards, and then at great expense provide 
institutions for converting them again into sober men ! 
Can our legislators furnish no better solution of the liquor 
question ? 

So long as the sale of liquor is sanctioned by law, the 
victims of appetite can receive but little benefit through 
inebriate asylums. They cannot remain there always ; 
they must again take their place in society. The appe¬ 
tite for intoxicating drinks, though it may be subdued,, 
is not wholly destroyed; and when temptation assails 
them, as it must on every hand, they too often fall an 
easy prey. 

What can be done to press back the inflowing tide of 
evil ? Let laws be enacted and rigidly enforced prohibit¬ 
ing the sale and use of ardent spirits as a beverage. Let 
every effort be made to encourage the inebriate’s return 
to temperance and virtue. But even more than this is 
needed to banish the curse of inebriety from our land. 


3 o 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


Let the appetite for intoxicating liquors be removed, and 
the demand for them is at an end. 

Only men of strict temperance and integrity should be 
admitted to our legislative halls, or chosen to preside in 
our courts of justice. Property, reputation, and even life 
itself, are insecure when left to the judgment of men who 
are intemperate and immoral. How many innocent per¬ 
sons have been condemned to death, how many more have 
been robbed of all their earthly possessions, by the injus¬ 
tice of drinking jurors, lawyers, witnesses, and even judges ! 

There is need now of men like Daniel to do and 
dare. A pure heart and a strong, fearless hand are 
wanted in the world to-day. God designed that man 
should be constantly improving, — daily reaching a higher 
point in the scale of excellence. He will help us, if we 
seek to help ourselves. It is the duty of every Christian 
to see that his example and influence are on the side 
of reform. Let ministers of the gospel lift up their 
voice like a trumpet, and show the people their trans¬ 
gression, and the house of Israel their sins. The youth 
need to be instructed. Our hope of happiness in two 
worlds depends upon our improvement of one. We 
should be guarded at every point against the first ap¬ 
proach to intemperance. If we would preserve our chil¬ 
dren from evil, we must give them a right example, and 
then teach them to make God their fear, their wisdom, 
and their strength. 

The use of intoxicating liquor dethrones reason, and 
hardens the heart against every pure and holy influence. 
The inanimate rocks will sooner listen to the appeals of 
truth and justice than will that man whose sensibilities 
are paralyzed by intemperance. Those who venture to 
enter the forbidden path are gradually and unconsciously 
led on, until they become demoralized, corrupted, and 
maddened. And while Christians are asleep, this evil is 
gaining more strength and making fresh victims. If the 
moral sensibilities of Christians were aroused upon the sub¬ 
ject of temperance in all things , and they realized that the 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


31 


final destiny of every one depends upon the habits he 
forms, they could, by their example, help those who are 
weak in self-control, to resist the cravings of appetite. 

We witness great struggles in our country to put down 
intemperance ; but it is a hard matter to overcome and 
chain a full-grown lion. If half the efforts that have been 
put forth to stay this giant evil had been directed toward 
enlightening parents in regard to their responsibility in 
forming the habits and character of their children, a thou¬ 
sand-fold more good might have resulted. The unnatural 
appetite for spirituous liquors is often created at home, in 
many cases at the tables of the very ones who are most 
zealous to lead out in the temperance work. We bid all 
workers Godspeed ; but we invite them to look more 
deeply into the cause of the evil they war against, and 
to be more thorough and consistent in reform. 

Through the intemperance begun at home, the digest¬ 
ive organs first become weakened, and soon ordinary food 
does not satisfy the appetite. Unhealthy conditions are 
established, and there is a craving for more stimulating 
food. Tea and coffee produce an immediate effect. Under 
the influence of these poisons the nervous system is excited, 
and in some cases, for the time being, the intellect seems 
to be invigorated, the imagination more vivid. Because 
these stimulants produce such agreeable results, many con¬ 
clude that they really need them ; but there is always a 
reaction. The nervous system has borrowed power from 
its future resources for present use, and all this temporary 
invigoration is followed by a corresponding depression. 
The suddenness of the relief obtained from tea and coffee, 
is an evidence that what seems to be strength is only 
nervous excitement, and consequently must be an injury 
to the system. 

The appetite thus educated to crave continually some¬ 
thing stronger, demands an increase of the agreeable excite¬ 
ment. Its demands become more frequent, and more diffi¬ 
cult to control. The more debilitated the system and the 
less able to do without unnatural stimulus, the more the 


32 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


desire for these things increases, until the will is over¬ 
borne, and there seems to be no power to deny the unnatu¬ 
ral craving. 

When there has been a departure from the right path, 
it is difficult to return. Barriers have been broken down, 
safeguards removed. One step in the wrong direction 
prepares the way for another. The least deviation from 
right principles will lead to separation from God, and 
may end in destruction. What we do once we more 
readily do again ; and to go forward in a certain path,, 
be it right or wrong, is more easy than to start. To cor¬ 
rupt our ways before God requires no effort ; but to en¬ 
graft habits of righteousness and truth upon the character 
takes time and patient endeavor. 

Many who would hesitate to place liquor to a neigh¬ 
bor’s lips, will engage in the raising of hops, and thus 
lend their influence against the temperance cause. I can¬ 
not see how, in the light of the law of God, Christians 
can conscientiously engage in the raising of hops or in 
the manufacture of wine and cider for the market. 

I have often heard people say, “ Oh ! this is only 
sweet cider. It is perfectly harmless, and even healthful.” 
Several quarts, perhaps gallons, are carried home. For a 
few days it is sweet; then fermentation begins. The 
sharp taste makes it all the more acceptable to many 
palates, and the lover of sweet wine and cider is loth 
to admit that his favorite beverage ever becomes hard 
and sour. 

Intoxication is just as really produced by wine and 
cider as by stronger drinks, and it is the worst kind of 
inebriation. The passions are more perverse ; the trans¬ 
formation of character is greater, more determined and 
obstinate. A few quarts of cider or wine may awaken a 
taste for stronger drinks, and in many cases those who 
have become confirmed drunkards have thus laid the 
foundation of the drinking habit. 

For persons who have inherited an appetite for stim¬ 
ulants, it is by no means safe to have wine or cider in. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


33 


the house ; for Satan is continually soliciting them to in¬ 
dulge. they yield to his temptations, they do not 
know where to stop ; appetite clamors for indulgence, and 
is gratified to their ruin. The brain is clouded ; reason 
no longer holds the reins, but lays them on the neck of 
lust. Licentiousness abounds, and vices of almost every 
type are practiced as the result of indulging the appetite for 
wine and cider. It is impossible for one who loves these 
stimulants, and accustoms himself to their use, to grow in 
grace. He becomes gross and sensual; the animal pas¬ 
sions control the higher powers of the mind, and virtue 
is not cherished. 

Moderate drinking is the school in which men are re¬ 
ceiving an education for the drunkard’s career. So grad¬ 
ually does Satan lead away from the strongholds of tem¬ 
perance, so insidiously do wine and cider exert their in¬ 
fluence upon the taste, that the highway to drunkenness 
is entered upon all unsuspectingly. The taste for stim¬ 
ulants is cultivated ; the nervous system is disordered ; 
Satan keeps the mind in a fever of unrest; and the poor 
victim, imagining himself perfectly secure, goes on and on, 
until every barrier is broken down, every principle sacri¬ 
ficed. The strongest resolutions are undermined, and 
eternal interests are too weak to keep the debased ap¬ 
petite under the control of reason. Some are never really 
drunk, but are always under the influence of mild in¬ 
toxicants. They are feverish, unstable in mind, not really 
delirious, but as truly unbalanced ; for the nobler powers, 
of the mind are perverted. 

Wherever we go, we encounter the tobacco devotee* 
enfeebling both mind and body by his darling indulgence.. 
Have men a right to deprive their Maker and the world 
of the service which is their due ? Tobacco is a slow, 
insidious poison. Its effects are more difficult to cleanse 
from the system than are those of liquor. It binds the 
victim in even stronger bands of slavery than does the 
intoxicating cup. It is a disgusting habit, defiling to 
the user, and very annoying to others. We rarely pass 


3 


34 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


through a crowd but men will puff their poisoned breath 
in our faces. It is unpleasant, if not dangerous, to re¬ 
main in a railway car or in a room where the atmos¬ 
phere is impregnated with the fumes of liquor and to¬ 
bacco. Is it honest thus to contaminate the air which 
others must breathe ? 

What power can the tobacco devotee have to stay the 
progress of intemperance ? There must be a revolution 
upon the subject of tobacco before the ax will be laid at 
the root of the tree. Tea, coffee, and tobacco, as well as 
alcoholic drinks, are different degrees in the scale of artificial 
stimulants. 

The effect of tea and coffee, as heretofore shown, tends 
in the same direction as that of wine and cider, liquor and 
tobacco. 

Tea is a stimulant, and to a certain extent produces 
intoxication. It gradually impairs the energy of body and 
mind. Its first effect is exhilarating, because it quickens 
the motions of the living machinery ; and the tea-drinker 
thinks that it is doing him great service. But this is a mis¬ 
take. When its influence is gone, the unnatural force abates, 
and the result is languor and debility corresponding to the 
artificial vivacity imparted. The second effect of tea¬ 
drinking is headache, wakefulness, palpitation of the heart, 
indigestion, trembling, and many other evils. 

Coffee is a hurtful indulgence. It temporarily excites 
the mind to unwonted action, but the after-effect is ex¬ 
haustion, prostration, paralysis of the mental, moral, and 
physical powers. The mind becomes enervated, and un¬ 
less through determined effort the habit is overcome, the 
activity of the brain is permanently lessened. 

All these nerve irritants are wearing away the life- 
forces, and the restlessness caused by shattered nerves, 
the impatience, the mental feebleness, become a warring 
element, antagonizing to spiritual progress. Then should 
not those who advocate temperance and reform be awake 
to counteract the evils of these injurious drinks ? In some 
.cases it is as difficult to break up the tea-and-coffee habit 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


35 


as it is for the inebriate to discontinue the use of liquor. 
The money expended for tea and coffee is worse than 
wasted. They do the user only harm, and that contin¬ 
ually. Those who use tea, coffee, opium, and alcohol, may 
sometimes live to old age, but this fact is no argument 
in favor of the use of these stimulants. What these per¬ 
sons might have accomplished, but failed to do because of 
their intemperate habits, the great day of God alone will 
reveal. 

Those who resort to tea and coffee for stimulation to 
labor, will feel the evil effects of this course in trembling 
nerves and lack of self-control. Tired nerves need rest 
and quiet. Nature needs time to recuperate her exhausted 
energies. But if her forces are goaded on by the use of 
stimulants, there is, whenever this process is repeated, a 
lessening of real force. For a time more may be accom¬ 
plished under the unnatural stimulus, but gradually it 
becomes more difficult to rouse the energies to the de¬ 
sired point, and at last exhausted nature can no longer 
respond. 

The habit of drinking tea and coffee is a greater evil 
than is often suspected. Many who have accustomed them¬ 
selves to the use of stimulating drinks, suffer from head¬ 
ache and nervous prostration, and lose much time on 
account of sickness. They imagine they cannot live 
without the stimulus, and are ignorant of its effect upon 
health. What makes it the more dangerous is, that its 
evil effects are so often attributed to other causes. 

Through the use of stimulants, the whole system suf¬ 
fers. The nerves are unbalanced, the liver is morbid in 
its action, the quality and circulation of the blood are 
affected, and the skin becomes inactive and sallow. The 
mind, too, is injured. The immediate influence of these 
stimulants is to excite the brain to undue activity, only 
to leave it weaker and less capable of exertion. The 
after-effect is prostration, not only mental and physical, 
but moral. As a result we see nervous men and women, 
of unsound judgment and unbalanced mind. They often 


36 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


manifest a hasty, impatient, accusing spirit, viewing the 
faults of others as through a magnifying glass, and utterly 
unable to discern their own defects. 

When these tea and coffee users meet together for 
social entertainment, the effects of their pernicious habit 
are manifest. All partake freely of the favorite beverages, 
and as the stimulating influence is felt, their tongues are 
loosened, and they begin the wicked work of talking against 
others. Their words are not few or well chosen. The tid¬ 
bits of gossip are passed around, too often the poison of 
scandal as well. These thoughtless gossipers forget that 
they have a witness. An unseen Watcher is writing their 
words in the books of heaven. All these unkind criticisms, 
these exaggerated reports, these envious feelings, expressed 
under the excitement of the cup of tea, Jesus registers as 
against himself. “ Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of 
the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”* 

We are already suffering because of the wrong habits 
of our fathers, and yet how many take a course in every 
way worse than theirs ! Opium, tea, coffee, tobacco, and 
liquor are rapidly extinguishing the spark of vitality still 
left in the race. Every year millions of gallons of intoxi¬ 
cating liquors are drank, and millions of dollars are spent 
for tobacco. And the slaves of appetite, while constantly' 
spending their earnings in sensual indulgence, rob their' 
children of food and clothing and the advantages of edu¬ 
cation. There can never be a right state of society while 
these evils exist. 

When the appetite for spirituous liquor is indulged, 
the man voluntarily places to his lips the draught which 
debases below the level of the brute, him who was made 
in the image of God. Reason is paralyzed, the intellect 
is benumbed, the animal passions are excited, and then 
follow crimes of the most debasing character. How can 
the user of rum or tobacco give to God an undivided heart ? 
It is impossible. Neither can he love his neighbor as him¬ 
self. The darling indulgence engrosses all his affections. 
To gratify his craving for strong drink, he sells reason 


* Matt. 25 : 40. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


37 


and self-control. He places to his lips that which stupe¬ 
fies the brain, paralyzes the intellect, and makes him a 
shame and curse to his family, and a terror to all around 
him. If men would become temperate in all things, if 
they would touch not, taste not, handle not, tea, coffee, 
tobacco, wines, opium, and alcoholic drinks, reason would 
take the reins of government in her own hands, and hold 
the appetites and passions under control. 

Through appetite, Satan controls the mind and the 
whole being. Thousands who might have lived, have 
passed into the grave, physical, mental, and moral wrecks, 
because they sacrificed all their powers to the indulgence 
of appetite. The necessity for the men of this genera¬ 
tion to call to their aid the power of the will, strength¬ 
ened by the grace of God, in order to withstand the 
temptations of Satan, and resist the least indulgence of 
perverted appetite, is far greater than it was several gen¬ 
erations ago. But the present generation have less power 
of self-control than had those who lived then. Those who 
indulged in these stimulants transmitted their depraved 
appetites and passions to their children, and greater moral 
power is now required to resist intemperance in all its 
forms. The only perfectly safe course is to stand firm, 
observing strict temperance in all things, and never vent¬ 
uring into the path of danger. 

I feel an intense interest that fathers and mothers 
should realize the solemn obligations that are resting upon 
them at this time. We are bringing up children who will 
be controlled by the power of Satan or by that of Christ. 
The only way in which any can be secure against the 
power of intemperance, is to abstain wholly from wine, 
beer, and strong drinks. We must teach our children that 
in order to be manly they must let these things alone. 
God has shown us what constitutes true manliness. It is 
he that overcometh who will be honored, and whose name 
will not be blotted out of the book of life. 

When the Lord would raise up Samson as a deliverer 
of his people, he enjoined upon the mother correct habits 


38 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


of life before the birth of her child. And the same pro¬ 
hibition was to be imposed, from the first, upon the child ; 
for he was to be consecrated to God as a Nazarite from 
his birth. 

The angel of God appeared to the wife of Manoah,. 
and informed her that she should have a son; and in view 
of this he gave her the important directions : “Now there¬ 
fore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong 
drink, and eat not any unclean thing.” * 

God had important work for the promised child of Ma¬ 
noah to do, and it was to secure for him the qualifica¬ 
tions necessary for this work, that the habits of both the 
mother and the child were to be so carefully regulated. 
“Neither let her drink wine nor strong drink,” was the 
angel’s instruction for the wife of Manoah, “ nor eat any 
unclean thing; all that I commanded her let her ob¬ 
serve.” The child will be affected for good or evil by 
the habits of the mother. She must herself be controlled 
by principle, and must practice temperance and self-denial, 
if she would seek the welfare of her child. 

In the New Testament we find a no less impressive 
example of the importance of temperate habits. 

John the Baptist was a reformer. To him was com¬ 
mitted a great work for the people of his time. And in 
preparation for that work, all his habits were carefully 
regulated, even from his birth. The angel Gabriel was 
sent from heaven to instruct the parents of John in the 
principles of health reform. He “ shall drink neither wine 
nor strong drink,” said the heavenly messenger; “and he 
shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.” f 

John separated himself from his friends, and from the 
luxuries of life, dwelling alone in the wilderness, and sub¬ 
sisting upon a purely vegetable diet. The simplicity of 
his dress — a garment woven of camel’s hair — was a re¬ 
buke to the extravagance and display of the people of 
his generation, especially of the Jewish priests. His diet 
also, of locusts and wild honey, was a rebuke to the 
gluttony that everywhere prevailed. 


* Judges 13 :4, 14. 


t Luke 1 :15. 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


39 


The work of John was foretold by the prophet Mal- 
achi : “ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before 
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord ; 
and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, 
and the heart of the children to their fathers.”* John the 
Baptist went forth in the spirit and power of Elijah, to 
prepare the way of the Lord, and to turn the people to 
the wisdom of the just. He was a representative of those 
living in the last days, to whom God has intrusted sacred 
truths to present before the people, to prepare the way 
for the second appearing of Christ. And the same prin¬ 
ciples of temperance which John practiced should be ob¬ 
served by those who in our day are to warn the world 
of the coming of the Son of man. 

God has made man in his own image, and he expects 
man to preserve unimpaired the powers that have been 
imparted to him for the Creator’s service. Then should 
we not heed his admonitions, and seek to preserve every 
power in the best condition to serve him ? The very best 
we can give to God is feeble enough. 

Why is there so much misery in the world to-day ? 
Is it because God loves to see his creatures suffer? — O 
no! it is because men have become weakened by immoral 
practices. We mourn over Adam’s transgression, and seem 
to think that our first parents showed great weakness in 
yielding to temptation; but if Adam’s transgression were 
the only evil we had to meet, the condition of the world 
would be much better than it is. There has been a suc¬ 
cession of falls since Adam’s day. 

Indulgence in spirituous liquors is causing great wretch¬ 
edness in the world. Though liquor drinkers are told again 
and again that they are shortening their life, they still go on 
in transgression. Why not cease to break the laws of God ? 
Why not seek to preserve themselves in a condition of 
health ? This is what God requires of them. If Chris¬ 
tians would bring all their appetites and passions under 
the control of enlightened conscience, feeling it a duty 
they owe to God and to their neighbor to obey the laws 

* Mai. 4 :5, 6. 


4 o 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


which govern life and health, they would have the bless¬ 
ing of physical and mental vigor; they would have moral 
power to engage in the warfare against Satan ; and in the 
name of Him who conquered in their behalf, they might 
be more than conquerors on their own account. 

All around us are the victims of depraved appetite, 
and what are you going to do for them ? Can you not, 
by your example, help them to place their feet in the 
path of temperance ? Can you have a sense of the temp¬ 
tations that are coming upon the youth who are growing 
up around us, and not seek to warn and save them ? Who 
will stand on the Lord’s side ? Who will help to press 
back this tide of immorality, of woe and wretchedness, 
that is filling the world ? We entreat of you to turn 
your attention to the work of overcoming. Those who 
shall at last have a right to the tree of life, will be those 
who have kept God’s commandments. 

It is not an easy matter to overcome the appetite for 
narcotics and stimulants. But in the name of Christ this 
great victory can be gained. His love for the fallen race 
was so great that he made an infinite sacrifice to reach 
them in their degradation, and through his divine power 
finally elevate them to his throne. But it rests with 
man whether Christ shall accomplish for him that which 
he is fully able to do. God cannot work against man’s 
will to save him from Satan’s artifices. Man must put 
forth his human power to resist and conquer at any cost; 
he must be a co-worker with Christ. Then, through the 
victory that it is his privilege to gain by the all-powerful 
name of Jesus, he may become an heir of God, and a 
partaker with Christ of his glory. No drunkard can in¬ 
herit the kingdom of God ; but “ to him that overcometh 
will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also 
overcame, and am set down with my Father in his 
throne.” * 

* Rev. 3 : 21. 


RELATION OF DIET TO HEALTH 
AND MORALS. 


Only one lease of life is granted us ; and the inquiry 
with every one should be, “ How can I invest my pow¬ 
ers so that they may yield the greatest profit ? How can 
I do most for the glory of God and the benefit of my 
fellow-men?” For life is valuable only as it is used for 
the attainment of these ends. 

Our first duty toward God and our fellow-beings is that 
of self-development. Every faculty with which the Cre¬ 
ator has endowed us should be cultivated to the highest 
degree of perfection, that we may be able to do the 
greatest amount of good of which we are capable. Hence 
that time is spent to good account which is used in the 
establishment and preservation of physical and mental 
health. We cannot afford to dwarf or cripple any function 
of body or mind. As surely as we do this, we must suffer 
the consequences. 

Every man has the opportunity, to a great extent, of 
making himself whatever he chooses to be. The blessings 
of this life, and also of the immortal state, are within 
his reach. He may build up a character of solid worth, 
gaining new strength at every step. He may advance 
daily in knowledge and wisdom, conscious of new delights 
as he progresses, adding virtue to virtue, grace to grace. 
His faculties will improve by use ; the more wisdom he 
gains, the greater will be his capacity for acquiring. His 
intelligence, knowledge, and virtue will thus develop into 
greater strength and more perfect symmetry. 

On the other hand, he may allow his powers to rust 
out for want of use, or to be perverted through evil 
habits, lack of self-control or moral and religious stamina. 
His course then tends downward ; he is disobedient to 
the law of God and to the laws of health. Appetite con¬ 
quers him ; inclination carries him away. It is easier for 

( 41 ) 



42 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


him to allow the powers of evil, which are always active, 
to drag him backward, than to struggle against them, and 
go forward. Dissipation, disease, and death follow. This 
is the history of many lives that might have been useful 
in the cause of God and humanity. 

One of the strongest temptations that man has to 
meet is upon the point of appetite. In the beginning the 
Lord made man upright. He was created with a perfectly 
balanced mind, the size and strength of all his organs 
being fully and harmoniously developed. But through the 
seductions of the wily foe, the prohibition of God was dis¬ 
regarded, and the laws of nature wrought out their full 
penalty. 

v Adam and Eve were permitted to eat of all the trees 
in their Eden home, save one. The Lord said to the holy 
pair, “In the day that ye eat of the tree of knowledge 
of good and evil, ye shall surely die.”* Eve was be¬ 
guiled by the serpent, and made to believe that God 
would not do as he had said. She ate, and thinking she 
felt the sensation of a new and more exalted life, she 
bore the fruit to her husband. The serpent had said that 
she should not die, and she felt no ill effects from eating the 
fruit, — nothing which could be interpreted to mean death, 
but, instead, a pleasurable sensation, which she imagined 
was as the angels felt. Her experience stood arrayed 
against the positive command of Jehovah, yet Adam per¬ 
mitted himself to be seduced by it. 

Thus we often find it, even in the religious world. 
God’s express commands are transgressed; and “because 
sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, 
therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them 
to do evil.”f In the face of the most positive commands of 
God, men and women will follow their own inclinations, 
and then dare to pray over the matter, to prevail upon 
God to allow them to go contrary to his expressed 
will. Satan comes to the side of such persons, as he did 
to Eve in Eden, and impresses them. They have an ex¬ 
ercise of mind, and this they relate as a most wonderful 

♦See Genesis 3. +Eccl. 8 : n. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


43 


experience which the Lord has given them. But true ex¬ 
perience will be in harmony with natural and divine law ; 
false experience arrays itself against the laws of life and 
the precepts of Jehovah. 

Since the first surrender to appetite, mankind have been 
growing more and more self-indulgent, until health has 
been sacrificed on the altar of appetite. The inhabitants 
of the antediluvian world were intemperate in eating and 
drinking. They would have flesh-meats, although God 
had at that time given man no permission to eat animal 
food. They ate and drank till the indulgence of their 
depraved appetite knew no bounds, and they became so 
corrupt that God could bear with them no longer. Their 
cup of iniquity was full, and he cleansed the earth of its 
moral pollution by a flood. 

As men multiplied upon the earth after the flood, they 
again forgot God, and corrupted their ways before him. 
Intemperance in every form increased, until almost the 
whole world was given up to its sway. Entire cities have 
been swept from the face of the earth because of the de¬ 
basing crimes and revolting iniquity that made them a 
blot upon the fair field of God’s created works. The 
gratification of unnatural appetite led to the sins that 
caused the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God 
ascribes the fall of Babylon to her gluttony and drunk¬ 
enness. Indulgence of appetite and passion was the foun¬ 
dation of all their sins. j. 

Esau had a strong desire for a particular article of food, 
and he had so long gratified himself that he did not feel 
the necessity of turning from the tempting, coveted dish. 
He allowed his imagination to dwell upon it until the 
power of appetite bore down every other consideration, 
and controlled him. He thought he would suffer great in¬ 
convenience, and even death, if he could not have that 
particular dish. The more he reflected upon it, the more 
his desire strengthened, until his birthright lost its value 
and sacredness in his sight, and he bartered it away. He 
flattered himself that he could dispose of his birthright 


44 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


at will, ana buy it back at pleasure; but when he sought 
to regain it, even at a great sacrifice, he was not able to 
do so. He then bitterly repented of his rashness, his 
folly, his madness; but it was all in vain. He had de¬ 
spised the blessing, and the Lord had removed it from 
him forever. 

When the God of Israel brought his people out of 
Egypt, he withheld flesh-meats from them in a great 
measure, but gave them bread from heaven, and water from 
the flinty rock. With this they were not satisfied. They 
loathed the food given them, and wished themselves back 
in Egypt, where they could sit by the flesh-pots. They 
preferred to endure slavery, and even death, rather than 
to be deprived of flesh. God granted their desire, giving 
them flesh, and leaving them to eat till their gluttony 
produced a plague, from which many of them died. 

Example after example might be cited to show the 
effects of yielding to appetite. It seemed a small matter 
to our first parents to transgress the command of God in 
that one act, — the eating from a tree that was so beautiful 
to the sight and so pleasant to the taste, — but it broke 
their allegiance to God, and opened the gates to a flood 
of guilt and woe that has deluged the world. 

- Crime and disease have increased with every succeed¬ 
ing generation. Intemperance in eating and drinking, and 
the indulgence of the baser passions, have benumbed the 
nobler faculties of man. Reason, instead of being the ruler, 
has come to be the slave of appetite to an alarming ex¬ 
tent. An increasing desire for rich food has been indulged, 
until it has become the fashion to crowd all the delicacies 
possible into the stomach. Especially at parties of pleas¬ 
ure is the appetite indulged with but little restraint. Rich 
dinners and late suppers are served, consisting of highly 
seasoned meats, with rich sauces, cakes, pies, ices, tea, 
coffee, etc. No wonder that, with such a diet, people have 
sallow complexions, and suffer untold agonies from dys¬ 
pepsia. 

Against every transgression of the laws of life, nature 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


45 


will utter her protest. She bears abuse as long as she 
can ; but finally the retribution comes, and it falls upon 
the mental as well as the physical powers. Nor does it 
end with the transgressor ; the effects of his indulgence 
are seen in his offspring, and thus the evil is passed down 
from generation to generation. 

The youth of to-day are a sure index to the future of 
society ; and as we view them, what can we hope for that 
future ? The majority are fond of amusement and averse 
to work. They lack moral courage to deny self and to 
respond to the claims of duty. They have but little self- 
control, and become excited and angry on the slightest 
occasion. Very many in every age and station of life 
are without principle or conscience ; and with their idle, 
spendthrift habits they are rushing into vice and are cor¬ 
rupting society, until our world is becoming a second 
Sodom. If the appetites and passions were under the 
control of reason and religion, society would present a 
widely different aspect. God never designed that the pres¬ 
ent woeful condition of things should exist; it has been 
brought about through the gross violation of nature’s laws. 

The character is formed, to a great extent, in early 
years. The habits then established have more influence 
than any natural endowment, in making men either giants 
or dwarfs in intellect; for the very best talents may, 
through wrong habits, become warped and enfeebled. The 
earlier in life one contracts hurtful habits, the more firmly 
will they hold their victim in slavery, and the more cer¬ 
tainly will they lower his standard of spirituality. On 
the other hand, if correct and virtuous habits are formed 
in youth, they will generally mark the course of the 
possessor through life. In most cases, it will be found 
that those who in later life reverence God and honor the 
right, learned that lesson before there was time for the 
world to stamp its images of sin upon the soul. Those of 
mature age are generally as insensible to new impressions 
as is the hardened rock ; but youth is impressible. Youth 
is the time to acquire knowledge for daily practice through 



46 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


life ; a right character may then be easily formed. It is 
the time to establish good habits, to gain and to hold 
the power of self-control. Youth is the sowing time, and 
the seed sown determines the harvest, both for this life 
and the life to come. 

Parents should make it their first object to become in¬ 
telligent in regard to the proper manner of dealing with 
their children, that they may secure to them sound minds 
in sound bodies. The principles of temperance should be 
carried out in all the details of home life. Self-denial 
should be taught to children, and enforced upon them, 
so far as consistent, from babyhood. Teach the little 
ones that they should eat to live, not live to eat; that 
appetite must be held in abeyance to the will; and that 
the will must be governed by calm, intelligent reason. 

If parents have transmitted to their children tenden¬ 
cies which will make more difficult the work of educating 
them to be strictly temperate, and of cultivating pure and 
virtuous habits, what a solemn responsibility rests upon 
the parents to counteract that influence by every means 
in their power! How diligently and earnestly should they 
strive to do their duty by their unfortunate offspring! To 
parents is committed the sacred trust of guarding the phys¬ 
ical and moral constitution of their children. Those who 
indulge a child’s appetite, and do not teach him to con¬ 
trol his passions, may afterward see, in the tobacco-lov¬ 
ing, liquor-drinking slave, whose senses are benumbed, 
and whose lips utter falsehood and profanity, the terrible 
mistake they have made. 

It is impossible for those who give the reins to appe¬ 
tite to attain to Christian perfection. The moral sensi¬ 
bilities of your children cannot be easily aroused, unless 
you are careful in the selection of their food. Many a 
mother sets a table that is a snare to her family. Flesh- 
meats, butter, cheese, rich pastry, spiced foods, and con¬ 
diments are freely partaken of by both old and young. 
These things do their work in deranging the stomach, ex¬ 
citing the nerves, and enfeebling the intellect. The blood- 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 47 

making organs cannot convert such things into good blood. 
The grease cooked in the food renders it difficult of diges¬ 
tion. The effect of cheese is deleterious. Fine-flour bread 
does not impart to the system the nourishment that is to 
be found in unbolted wheat bread. Its common use will 
not keep the system in the best condition. Spices at first 
irritate the tender coating of the stomach, but finally de¬ 
stroy the natural sensitiveness of this delicate membrane. 
The blood becomes fevered, the animal propensities are 
aroused, while the moral and intellectual powers are 
weakened, and become servants to the baser passions. 
The mother should study to set a simple yet nutritious 
diet before her family. 

God has furnished man with abundant means for the 
gratification of an unperverted appetite. He has spread 
before him the products of the earth, — a bountiful variety 
of food that is palatable to the taste and nutritious to the 
system. Of these our benevolent heavenly Father says 
we may freely eat. Fruits, grains, and vegetables, pre¬ 
pared in a simple way, free from spice and grease of all 
kinds, make, with milk or cream, the most healthful diet. 
They impart nourishment to the body, and give a power 
of endurance and a vigor of intellect that are not pro¬ 
duced by a stimulating diet. 

Those who use flesh-meats freely, do not always have 
an unclouded brain and an active intellect, because the 
use of the flesh of animals tends to cause a grossness of 
body, and to benumb the finer sensibilities of the mind. 
The liability to disease is increased by flesh-eating. We 
do not hesitate to say that meat is not essential to the 
maintenance of health and strength. 

Those who subsist largely upon meat, cannot avoid 
sometimes eating flesh which is more or less diseased. 
In many cases the process of fitting animals for market 
produces an unhealthy condition. Shut away from light 
and pure air, inhaling the atmosphere of filthy stables, 
the entire body soon becomes contaminated with foul 
matter; and when such flesh is received into the 


48 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


human body, it corrupts the blood, and disease is pro¬ 
duced. If the person already has impure blood, this un¬ 
healthful condition will be greatly aggravated. But few 
can be made to believe that it is the meat they have 
eaten which has poisoned their blood and caused their suf¬ 
fering. Many die of diseases wholly due to meat-eating, 
when the real cause is scarcely suspected by themselves 
or others. Some do not immediately feel its effects, but 
this is no evidence that it does not hurt them. It may 
be doing its work surely upon the system, yet for the 
time being the victim may realize nothing of it. 

Pork, although one of the most common articles of diet, 
is one of the most injurious. God did not prohibit the 
Hebrews from eating swine’s flesh merely to show his 
authority, but because it is not a proper article of food for 
man. God never created the swine to be eaten under any 
circumstances. It is impossible for the flesh of any living 
creature to be healthful when filth is its natural element, 
and when it feeds upon every detestable thing. 

It is not the chief end of man to gratify his appetite. 
There are physical wants to be supplied ; but because of 
this is it necessary that man shall be controlled by appe¬ 
tite ? Will the people who are seeking to become holy, pure, 
refined, that they may be introduced into the society of 
heavenly angels, continue to take the life of God’s creatures, 
and enjoy their flesh as a luxury ? From what the Lord 
has shown me, this order of things will be changed, and 
God’s peculiar people will exercise temperance in all things. 

There is a class who seem to think that whatever is 
eaten is lost, that anything tossed into the stomach to fill 
it, will do as well as food prepared with intelligence and 
care. But it is important that we relish the food we eat. 
If we cannot, and have to eat mechanically, we fail to 
receive the proper nourishment. Our bodies are con¬ 
structed from what we eat; and in order to makejdssues 
of good quality, we must have the right kind of food, 
and it must be prepared with such skill as will best adapt 
it to the wants of the system. It is a religious duty for 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


49 


those who cook, to learn how to prepare healthful food in 
a variety of ways, so that it may be both palatable and 
healthful. Poor cookery is wearing away the life ener¬ 
gies of thousands. More souls are lost from this cause 
than many realize. It deranges the system and produces 
disease. In the condition thus induced, heavenly things 
cannot be readily discerned. 

* Some do not feel that it is a religious duty to prepare 
food properly; hence they do not try to learn how. 
They let the bread sour before baking, and the saleratus 
added to remedy the cook’s carelessness, makes it totally 
unfit for the human stomach. It requires thought and care 
to make good bread. But there is more religion in a good 
loaf of bread than many think. Food can be prepared 
simply and healthfully, but it requires skill to make it both 
palatable and nourishing. In order to learn how to cook, 
women should study, and then patiently reduce what they 
learn to practice. People are suffering because they will 
not take the trouble to do this.. I say to such, It is 
time for you to rouse your dormant energies, and inform 
yourselves. Do not think the time wasted which is de¬ 
voted to obtaining a thorough knowledge and experience 
in the preparation of healthful, palatable food. No matter 
how long an experience you have had in cooking, if you 
still have the responsibilities of a family, it is your duty 
to learn how to care for them properly. If necessary, go 
to some good cook, and put yourself under her instruction 
until you are mistress of the art. 

A wrong course of eating or drinking destroys health,, 
and with it the sweetness of life. O, how many times 
has a good meal, as it is called, been purchased at the 
expense of sleep and quiet rest! Thousands, by indulg¬ 
ing a perverted appetite, have brought on fever or some 
other acute disease, which has resulted in death. That 
was enjoyment purchased at an immense cost. 

Because it is wrong to eat merely to gratify a per¬ 
verted taste, it does not follow that we should be indif¬ 
ferent in regard to our food. It is a matter of the high- 

4 


So 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


est importance. No one should adopt an impoverished 
diet. Many are debilitated from disease, and need nour¬ 
ishing, well-cooked food. Health reformers, above all 
others, should be careful to avoid extremes. The body 
must have sufficient nourishment. The God who gives 
his beloved sleep has furnished them also suitable food 
to sustain the physical system in a healthy condition. 

Many turn from light and knowledge, and sacrifice 
principle to taste. They eat when the system needs no 
food, and at irregular intervals, because they have no 
moral stamina to resist inclination. As the result, the 
abused stomach rebels, and suffering follows. Regularity 
in eating is very important for health of body and seren¬ 
ity of mind. Never should a morsel of food pass the lips 
between meals. 

Many indulge in the pernicious habit of eating just 
before retiring. They may have taken their regular meals, 
yet because they feel a sense of faintness, they think they 
must have a lunch. By indulging this wrong practice it 
becomes a habit, and they feel as though they could not 
sleep without food. In many cases this faintness comes 
because the digestive organs have been too severely taxed 
through the day in disposing of the great quantities of 
food forced upon them. These organs need a period of 
entire rest from labor, to recover their exhausted energies. 
A second meal should never be eaten until the stomach 
has had time to recover from the labor of digesting the 
preceding meal. When we lie down at night, the stom¬ 
ach should have its work all done, that it, as well as other 
portions of the body, may enjoy rest. But if more food 
is forced upon it, the digestive organs are put in mo¬ 
tion again, to perform the same round of labor through 
the sleeping hours. The sleep of such is often disturbed 
with unpleasant dreams, and in the morning they awake 
unrefreshed. When this practice is followed, the digest¬ 
ive organs lose their natural vigor, and the person finds 
himself a miserable dyspeptic. And not only does the 
transgression of nature’s laws affect the individual unfa- 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


51 

vorably, but others suffer more or less with him. Let any 
one take a course that irritates him in any way, and see 
how quickly he manifests impatience! He cannot, with¬ 
out special grace, speak or act calmly. He casts a shadow 
wherever he goes. How can any one say, then, “ It is 
nobody’s business what I eat or drink ” ? 

It is possible to eat immoderately, even of wholesome 
food. It does not follow that because one has discarded 
the use of hurtful articles of diet, he can eat just as much 
as he pleases. Overeating, no matter what the quality 
of the food, clogs the living machine, and thus hinders it 
in its work. 

Many make a mistake in drinking cold water with their 
meals. Food should not be washed down. Taken with 
meals, water diminishes the flow of the saliva; and the 
colder the water, the greater the injury to the stomach. 
Ice-water or ice-lemonade, taken with meals, will arrest 
digestion until the system has imparted sufficient warmth 
to the stomach to enable it to take up its work again. 
Masticate slowly, and allow the saliva to mingle with 
the food. 

The more liquid there is taken into the stomach with the 
meals, the more difficult it is for the food to digest; for 
the liquid must first be absorbed. Do not eat largely of 
salt; give up spiced pickles; keep fiery food out of the 
stomach ; eat fruit with the meals, and the irritation that 
calls for so much drink will cease to exist. But if any¬ 
thing is needed to quench thirst, pure water is all that 
nature requires. Never take tea, coffee, beer, wine, or any 
spirituous liquor. 

In order to secure healthy digestion, food should be 
eaten slowly. Those who wish to avoid dyspepsia, and 
those who realize their obligation to keep all their pow¬ 
ers in a condition which will enable them to render the 
best service to God, will do well to remember this. If 
your time to eat is limited, do not bolt your food, but eat 
less, and masticate slowly. The benefit derived from food 
does not depend so much on the quantity eaten, as on its 


52 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


thorough digestion; nor the gratification of taste so much 
on the amount of food swallowed, as on the length of 
time it remains in the mouth. Those who are excited, 
anxious, or in a hurry, would do well not to eat until they 
have found rest or relief; for the vital powers, already 
severely taxed, cannot supply the necessary digestive 
fluids. When traveling, some are almost constantly nib¬ 
bling, if there is anything within their reach. This is a 
most pernicious practice. If travelers would eat regularly 
of the simplest and most nutritious kinds of food, they 
would not experience so great weariness, nor suffer so 
much from sickness. 

J In order to preserve health, temperance in all things is 
necessary,—temperance in labor, temperance in eating 
and drinking. Our heavenly Father sent the light of 
health reform to guard against the evils resulting from a 
debased appetite, that those who love purity and holiness 
may know how to use with discretion the good things he 
has provided for them, and that by exercising temperance 
in daily life, they may be sanctified through the truth.! 

At general meetings and camp-meetings we should 
have good, wholesome, nourishing food, prepared in a sim¬ 
ple manner. We should not turn these seasons into occa¬ 
sions for feasting. If we appreciate the blessings of God, 
if we are feeding on the bread of life, we will not be much 
concerned about gratifying the appetite. The great bur¬ 
den of our thoughts will be, How is it with my soul ? 
There will be such a longing for spiritual food, — some¬ 
thing which will impart spiritual strength, — that we will 
not complain if the diet is plain and simple, 
sf God requires the body to be rendered a living sac¬ 
rifice to him, not a dead or a dying sacrifice. The 
offerings of the ancient Hebrews were to be without 
blemish, and will it be pleasing to God to accept a hu¬ 
man offering that is filled with disease and corruption ? 
He tells us that our body is the temple of the Holy 
Ghost; and he requires us to take care of this temple, 
that it may be a fit habitation for his Spirit. The apos- 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


53 


tie Paul gives us this admonition : “Ye are not your own; 
for ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in 
your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”* All 
should be very careful to preserve the body in the best 
condition of health, that they may render to God perfect 
service, and do their duty in the family and in society.? 

It is as truly a sin to violate the laws of our being 
as it is to break the ten commandments. To do either 
is to break God’s laws. Those who transgress the law of 
God in their physical organism, will be inclined to violate 
the law of God spoken from Sinai.^. 

\/ Our Saviour warned his disciples that just prior 
to his second coming a state of things would exist 
very similar to that which preceded the flood. Eat¬ 
ing and drinking would be carried to excess, and the 
world would be given up to pleasure. This state of things 
does exist at the present time. The world is largely 
given up to the indulgence of appetite; and the dispo¬ 
sition to follow worldly customs will bring us into 
bondage to perverted habits, — habits that will make 
us more and more like the doomed inhabitants of Sodom. 

I have wondered that the inhabitants of the earth were 
not destroyed, like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. 
I see reason enough for the present state of degeneracy 
and mortality in the world. Blind passion controls rea¬ 
son, and every high consideration is, with many, sacri¬ 
ficed to lust. 

\ To keep the body in a healthy condition, in order 
that all parts of the living machinery may act harmoni¬ 
ously, should be a study of our life. The children of God 
cannot glorify him with sickly bodies or dwarfed minds. 
Those who indulge in any species of intemperance, either 
in eating or drinking, waste their physical energies and 
weaken moral power. 

The apostle Peter understood the relation between the 
mind and the body, and raised his voice in warning to his 
brethren : “ Dearly beloved, I beseech you, as strangers 
and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against 

* i Cor. 6 :19, 20. 


54 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


the soul.” * Many regard this text as a warning against 
licentiousness only ; but it has a broader meaning. It for¬ 
bids every injurious gratification of appetite or passion. 
Every perverted appetite becomes a warring lust. Ap¬ 
petite was given us for a good purpose, not to be¬ 
come the minister of death by being perverted, and 
thus degenerating into “ lusts which war against the soul.” 
Peter’s admonition is a most direct and forcible warn¬ 
ing against the use of all stimulants and narcotics. These 
indulgences may well be classed among the lusts that 
exert a pernicious influence upon moral character. 

When Paul wrote, “ And the very God of peace sanc¬ 
tify you wholly,” + he did not exhort his brethren to aim 
at a standard which it was impossible for them to reach ; 
he did not pray that they might have blessings which 
it was not the will of God to give. He knew that all 
who would be fitted to meet Christ in peace, must pos¬ 
sess a pure and holy character. 

The strength of the temptation to indulge appetite 
can be measured only by the inexpressible anguish of 
our Redeemer in that long fast in the wilderness. He 
knew that the indulgence of perverted appetite would so 
deaden man’s perceptions that sacred things could not 
be discerned. Adam fell by the indulgence of appetite ; 
Christ overcame by the denial of appetite. And our only 
hope of regaining Eden is through firm self-control. If 
the power of indulged appetite was so strong upon the 
race, that, in order to break its hold, the divine Son of 
God, in man’s behalf, had to endure a fast of nearly six 
weeks, what a work is before the Christian! Yet, how¬ 
ever great the struggle, he may overcome. By the help 
of that divine power which withstood the fiercest temp¬ 
tations that Satan could invent, he too may be entirely 
successful in his warfare with evil, and at last may wear 
the victor’s crown in the kingdom of God. 

* i Peter a: n. 1 1 Thess. 5 -.23. 


EXTREMES IN DIET. 


Many of the views held by Seventh-day Adventists 
differ widely from those held by the world in general. 
Those who advocate an unpopular truth should, above 
all others, seek to be consistent in their own life. They 
should not try to see how different they can be from 
others, but how near they can come to those whom they 
wish to influence, that they may help them to the posi¬ 
tions they themselves so highly prize. Such a course will 
commend the truths they hold. 

Those who are advocating a reform in diet should, by 
the provision they make for their own table, present the 
advantages of hygiene in the best light. They should so 
exemplify its principles as to commend it to the judg¬ 
ment of candid minds. 

There is a large class who will reject any reform move¬ 
ment, however reasonable, if it lays a restriction upon the 
appetite. They consult taste, instead of reason and the 
laws of health. By this class, all who leave the beaten 
track of custom and advocate reform will be opposed, and 
accounted radical, let them pursue ever so consistent a 
course. 

But no one should permit opposition or ridicule to turn 
him from the work of reform, or cause him to lightly re¬ 
gard it. He who is imbued with the spirit which actuated 
Daniel, will not be narrow or conceited, but he will be 
firm and decided in standing for the right. In all his 
associations, whether with his brethren or with others, he 
will not swerve from principle, while at the same time he 
will not fail to manifest a noble, Christ-like patience. 
When those who advocate hygienic reform carry the mat¬ 
ter to extremes, people are not to blame if they become 
disgusted. Too often our religious faith is thus brought 

( 55 ) 



56 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


into disrepute, and in many cases those who witness such 
exhibitions of inconsistency can never afterward be brought 
to think that there is anything good in the reform. These 
extremists do more harm in a few months than they can 
undo in a life-time. They are engaged in a work which 
Satan loves to see go on. 

Two classes have been presented before me: first, 
those who are not living up to the light which God has 
given them ; secondly, those who are too rigid in carry¬ 
ing out their one-sided ideas of reform, and enforcing 
them on others. When they take a position, they stand 
to it stubbornly, and carry nearly everything over the 
mark. 

The first class adopted the reform because some one 
else did. They did not obtain a clear understanding of 
its principles for themselves. Many of those who profess 
the truth have received it because some one else did, and 
for their life they could not give the reason of their faith. 
This is why they are so unstable. Instead of weighing 
their motives in the light of eternity, instead of obtain¬ 
ing a practical knowledge of the principles underlying 
all their actions, instead of digging down to the bottom, 
and building upon a right foundation for themselves, they 
are walking in the light of another’s torch, and will 
surely fail. 

The other class take wrong views of the reform. They 
adopt too meager a diet. They subsist upon a poor quality 
of food, prepared without reference to the nourishment of 
the system. It is important that food be prepared with 
care, so that the appetite, when not perverted, can relish it. 

Because we, from principle, discard the use of those 
things which irritate the stomach and destroy health, the 
idea should never be given that it is of little consequence 
what we eat. I do not recommend an impoverished diet. 
Many who need the benefits of healthful living, and from 
■conscientious motives adopt what they believe to be such, 
are deceived by supposing that a meager bill of fare, pre- 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


57 


pared without painstaking, and consisting mostly of mushes 
and so-called gems, heavy and sodden, is what is meant 
by a reformed diet. Some use milk and a large amount 
of sugar on mush, thinking that they are carrying out 
health reform. But the sugar and milk combined are liable 
to cause fermentation in the stomach, and are thus harmful. 
The free use of sugar in any form tends to clog the sys¬ 
tem, and is not unfrequently a cause of disease. Some 
think that they must eat only just such an amount, and 
just such a quality, and confine themselves to two or three 
kinds of food. But in eating too small an amount, and 
that not of the best quality, they do not receive sufficient 
nourishment. 

There is real common sense in health reform. People 
cannot all eat the same things. Some articles of food that 
are wholesome and palatable to one person, may be hurtful 
to another. Some cannot use milk, while others can sub¬ 
sist upon it. For some, dried beans and peas are whole¬ 
some, while others cannot digest them. Some stomachs 
have become so sensitive that they cannot make use of 
the coarser kind of graham flour. So it is impossible to 
make an unvarying rule by which to regulate every one’s 
dietetic habits. 

Narrow ideas, an overstraining of small points, have 
been a great injury to the cause of hygiene. There may 
be such an effort at economy in the preparation of food, 
that, instead of a healthful diet, it becomes a poverty- 
stricken diet. What is the result? — Poverty of the blood. 
I have seen several cases of disease most difficult to cure, 
which were due to impoverished diet. The persons thus 
afflicted were not compelled by poverty to adopt a meager 
diet, but did so in order to follow out their own erroneous 
ideas of what constitutes health reform. Day after day, 
meal after meal, the same articles of food were prepared 
without variation, until dyspepsia and general debility 
resulted. 

Many who adopt the health reform complain that it 


58 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


does not agree with them ; but after sitting at their tables 
I come to the conclusion that it is not the health reform 
that is at fault, but the poorly prepared food. I appeal 
to men and women to whom God has given intelligence : 
learn how to cook. I make no mistake when I say men, 
for they, as well as women, need to understand the simple, 
healthful preparation of food. Their business often takes 
them where they cannot obtain wholesome food. They 
may be called to remain days and even weeks in families 
that are entirely ignorant in this respect. Then, if they 
have the knowledge, they can use it to good purpose. 

Investigate your habits of diet. Study from cause to 
effect, but do not bear false witness against health reform 
by ignorantly pursuing a course which militates against 
it. Do not neglect or abuse the body, and thus unfit it 
to render to God that service which is his due. To my 
certain knowledge, some of the most useful workers in 
our cause have died through such neglect. To care for 
the body by providing for it food which is relishable and 
strengthening, is one of the first duties of the house¬ 
holder. Better by far have less expensive clothing and 
furniture, than to scrimp the supply of necessary articles 
for the table. 

Most people enjoy better health while eating two 
meals a day than three; others, under their existing cir¬ 
cumstances, may require something to eat at supper-time; 
but this meal should be very light. Let no one think 
himself a criterion for all,— that every one must do ex¬ 
actly as he does. 

Never cheat the stomach out of that which health de¬ 
mands, and never abuse it by placing upon it a load which 
it should not bear. Cultivate self-control. Restrain ap¬ 
petite ; keep it under the control of reason. Do not feel 
it necessary to load down your table with unhealthful food 
when you have visitors. The health of your family and 
the influence upon your children should be considered, as 
well as the habits and tastes of your guests. 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


59 


Some health reformers are continually worrying for fear 
their food, however simple and healthful, will hurt them. 
To these let me say, Do not think that your food is goings 
to hurt you; but when you have eaten according to your 
best judgment, and have asked the Lord to bless the food, 
believe that he has heard your prayer, and be at rest. 

Health reform means something to us, and we must 
not belittle it by narrow views and practices. We must 
be true to our convictions of right. Daniel was blessed 
because he was steadfast in doing what he knew to be 
right, and we shall be blessed if we seek to honor God 
with full purpose of heart. 


HOME EDUCATION. 


The work of the mother is an important one. Amid 
the homely cares and trying duties of every-day life, she 
should endeavor to exert an influence that will bless and 
elevate her household. In the children committed to her 
care, every mother has a sacred charge from the heavenly 
Father ; and it is her privilege, through the grace of Christ, 
to mould their character after the divine pattern, to shed 
an influence over their lives that will draw them toward 
God and heaven. If mothers had always realized their 
responsibility, and made it their first purpose, their most 
important mission, to fit their children for the duties of 
this life and for the honors of the future, immortal life, 
we would not see the misery that now exists in so many 
homes in our land. The mother’s work is such that it 
demands continual advancement in her own life, in order 
that she may lead her children to higher and still higher 
attainments. But Satan lays his plans to secure the souls 
of both parents and children. Mothers are drawn away 
from the duties of home and the careful training of their 
little ones, to the service of self and the world. Vanity, 
fashion, and matters of minor importance are allowed to 
absorb the attention, and the physical and moral educa¬ 
tion of the precious children is neglected. 

If she makes the customs and practices of the world 
her criterion, the mother will become unfitted for the re¬ 
sponsible duties of her lot. If fashion holds her in bond¬ 
age, it will weaken her powers of endurance, and make 
life a wearing burden instead of a blessing. Through 
physical weakness she may fail to appreciate the value 
of the opportunities that are hers, and her family may be 
left to grow up without the benefit of her thought, her 
prayers, and her diligent instruction. If mothers would 
only consider the wonderful privileges that God has given 
(60) 



BIBLE HYGIENE. 


61 


them, they would not be so easily turned aside from their 
sacred duties to the trivial affairs of the world. 

The mother’s work begins with the babe in her arms. 
I have often seen the little one throw itself and scream 
if its will was crossed in any way. This is the time to 
rebuke the evil spirit. The enemy will try to control the 
minds of our children, but shall we allow him to mould 
them according to his will ? These little ones cannot dis¬ 
cern what spirit is influencing them, and it is the duty of 
parents to exercise judgment and discretion for them. 
Their habits must be carefully watched. Evil tendencies 
are to be restrained, and the mind stimulated in favor of 
the right. The child should be encouraged in every effort 
to govern itself. 

Regularity should be the rule in all the habits of chil¬ 
dren. Mothers make a great mistake in permitting them 
to eat between meals. The stomach becomes deranged 
by this practice, and the foundation is laid for future suf¬ 
fering. Their fretfulness may have been caused by un¬ 
wholesome food, still undigested; but the mother feels 
that she cannot spend time to reason upon the matter, 
and correct her injurious management. Neither can she 
stop to soothe their impatient worrying. She gives the 
little sufferers a piece of cake or some other dainty to 
quiet them, but this only increases the evil. Some mothers, 
in their anxiety to do a great amount of work, get wrought 
up into such nervous haste that they are more irritable 
than the children, and by scolding and even blows they 
try to terrify the little ones into quietude. 

Mothers often complain of the delicate health of their 
children, and consult the physician, when, if they would 
but exercise a little common sense, they would see that 
the trouble is caused by errors in diet. 

We are living in an age of gluttony, and the habits 
to which the young are educated, even by many Seventh- 
day Adventists, are in direct opposition to the laws of 
nature. I was seated once at the table with several chil¬ 
dren under twelve years of age. Meat was plentifully 


62 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


served, and then a delicate, nervous girl called for pickles. 
A bottle of chow-chow, fiery with mustard and pungent 
with spices, was handed her, from which she helped her¬ 
self freely. The child was proverbial for her nervousness 
and irritability of temper, and these fiery condiments were 
well calculated to produce such a condition. The oldest 
child thought he could not eat a meal without meat, and 
showed great dissatisfaction, and even disrespect, if it was 
not provided for him. The mother had indulged him in 
his likes and dislikes till she had become little better than 
a slave to his caprices. The lad had not been provided 
with work, and he spent the greater portion of his time 
in reading that which was useless or worse than useless. 
He complained almost constantly of headache, and had 
no relish for simple food. 

Parents should provide employment for their children. 
Nothing will be a more sure source of evil than indolence. 
Physical labor that brings healthful weariness to the mus¬ 
cles, will give an appetite for simple, wholesome food, and 
the youth who is properly employed will not rise from the 
table grumbling because he does not see before him a 
platter of meat and various dainties to tempt his appetite. 

Jesus, the Son of God, in laboring with his hands at 
the carpenter’s trade, gave an example to all youth. Let 
those who scorn to take up the common duties of life 
remember that Jesus was subject to his parents, and con¬ 
tributed his share toward the sustenance of the family. 
Few luxuries were seen on the table of Joseph and Mary, 
for they were among the poor and lowly. 

Parents should be an example to their children in the 
expenditure of money. There are those who, as soon as 
they get money, spend it for dainties to eat, or for need¬ 
less adornments of dress, and when the supply of money 
becomes reduced, they feel the need of that which they 
have wasted. If they have an abundant income, they use 
every dollar of it ; if small, it is not sufficient for the 
habits of extravagance they have acquired, and they bor¬ 
row to supply the demand. They gather from any source 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


63 


possible to meet their fancied necessities. They become 
dishonest and untruthful, and the record that stands against 
them in the books of heaven is such as they will not care 
to look upon in the day of Judgment. The desire of the 
eye must be gratified, the craving of the appetite in¬ 
dulged, and they keep themselves poor by their improvi¬ 
dent habits, when they might have learned to live within 
their means. Extravagance is one of the sins to which 
youth are prone. They despise economical habits, for fear 
they shall be thought niggardly and mean. What will 
Jesus, the Majesty of heaven, who has given them an ex¬ 
ample of patient industry and economy, say to such ? 

It is not necessary to specify here how economy may 
be practiced in every particular. Those whose hearts are 
fully surrendered to God, and who take his word as their 
guide, will know how to conduct themselves in all the 
duties of life. They will learn of Jesus, who is meek and 
lowly of heart; and in cultivating the meekness of Christ 
they will close the door against innumerable temptations. 

They will not be studying how to gratify appetite and 
the passion for display, while so many cannot even keep 
hunger from the door. The amount daily spent in need¬ 
less things, with the thought, “ It is only a nickle,” “ It 
is only a dime,” seems very little ; but multiply these lit- 
tles by the days of the year, and as the years go by, the 
array of figures will seem almost incredible. 

The Lord has been pleased to present before me the 
evils which result from spendthrift habits, that I might 
admonish parents to teach their children strict economy. 
Teach them that money spent for that which they do 
not need, is perverted from its proper use. He that is 
unfaithful in that which is least, would be unfaithful in 
much. If men are unfaithful with earthly goods, they can¬ 
not be intrusted with the eternal riches. Set a guard 
over the appetite; teach your children by example as well 
as by precept to use a simple diet. Teach them to be 
industrious, not merely busy, but engaged in useful labor. 
Seek to arouse the moral sensibilities. Teach them that 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


64 

God has claims upon them, even from the early years of 
their childhood. Tell them that there are moral corrup¬ 
tions to be met on every hand, that they need to come 
to Jesus and give themselves to him, body and spirit, 
and that in him they will find strength to resist every 
temptation. Keep before their minds that they were not 
created merely to please themselves, but to be the Lord’s 
agent for noble purposes. Teach them, when temptations 
urge into paths of selfish indulgence, when Satan is seek¬ 
ing to shut out God from their sight, to look to Jesus, 
pleading, “ Save, Lord, that I be not overcome.” Angels 
will gather about them in answer to their prayer, and 
lead them into safe paths. 

Christ prayed for his disciples, not that they should be 
taken out of the world, but that they should be kept from 
evil,— that they might be kept from yielding to the temp¬ 
tations they would meet on every hand. This is a prayer 
that should be offered up by every father and mother. But 
should they thus plead with God in behalf of their chil¬ 
dren, and then leave them to do as they please ? Should 
they pamper the appetite until it gets the mastery, and 
then expect to restrain the children? — No; temperance 
and self-control should be taught from the very cradle 
up. Upon the mother must rest largely the responsibility 
of this work. The tenderest earthly tie is that between 
the mother and her child. The child is more readily im¬ 
pressed by the life and example of the mother than by 
that of the father, because of this stronger and more ten¬ 
der bond of union. Yet the mother’s responsibility is a 
heavy one, and should have the constant aid of the father. 

Intemperance in eating and drinking, intemperance in 
labor, intemperance in almost everything, exists on every 
hand. Those who make great exertions to accomplish 
just so much work in a given time, and continue to labor 
when their judgment tells them they should rest, are 
never gainers. They are living on borrowed capital. They 
are expending the vital force which they will need at a 
future time. And when the energy they have so reck- 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


65 


lessly used is demanded, they fail for want of it. The 
physical strength is gone, the mental powers fail. They 
realize that they have met with a loss, but do not know 
what it is. Their time of need has come, but their physi¬ 
cal resources are exhausted. Every one who violates the 
laws of health must sometime be a sufferer to a greater 
or less degree. God has provided us with constitutional 
force, which will be needed at different periods of our life. 
If we recklessly exhaust this force by continual overtax¬ 
ation, we shall sometime be losers. Our usefulness will 
be lessened, if not our life itself destroyed. 

As a rule, the labor of the day should not be pro¬ 
longed into the evening. If all the hours of the day are 
well improved, the work extended into the evening is so 
much extra, and the overtaxed system will suffer from the 
burden imposed upon it. I have been shown that those 
who do this, often lose much more than they gain, for 
their energies are exhausted, and they labor on nervous 
excitement. They may not realize any immediate injury, 
but they are surely undermining their constitution. 

Let parents devote the evenings to their families. Lay 
off care and perplexity with the labors of the day. The 
husband and father would gain much if he would make it 
a rule not to mar the happiness of his family by bring¬ 
ing his business troubles home to fret and worry over. 
He may need the council of his wife in difficult matters, 
and they may both obtain relief in their perplexities by 
unitedly seeking wisdom of God; but to keep the mind 
constantly strained upon business affairs will injure the: 
health of both mind and body. 

Let the evenings be spent as happily as possible. Let: 
home be a place where cheerfulness, courtesy, and love 
exist. This will make it attractive to the children. If 
the parents are continually borrowing trouble, are irrita¬ 
ble and fault-finding, the children partake of the same 
spirit of dissatisfaction and contention, and home is the 
most miserable place in the world. The children find 
more pleasure among strangers, in reckless company, or 

5 


66 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


in the street, than at home. All this might be avoided 
if temperance in all things were practiced, and patience 
cultivated. Self-control on the part of all the members 
of the family will make home almost a paradise. Make 
your rooms as cheerful as possible. Let the children find 
home the most attractive place on earth. Throw about 
them such influences that they will not seek for street 
companions, nor think of the haunts of vice except with 
horror. If the home-life is what it should be, the habits 
formed there will be a strong defense against the assaults 
of temptation when the young shall leave the shelter of 
home for the world. 

Do we build our houses for the happiness of the fam¬ 
ily, or merely for display ? Do we provide pleasant, sunny 
rooms for our children, or do we keep them darkened an<| 
closed, reserving them for strangers who are not depend¬ 
ent on us for happiness ? There is no nobler work that 
we can do, no greater benefit that we can confer upon 
society, than to give to our children a proper education 
impressing upon them, by precept and example, the 
important principle that purity of life and sincerity of 
purpose will best qualify them to act their part in the 
world. 

Our artificial habits deprive us of many privileges and 
much enjoyment, and unfit us for usefulness. A fashion¬ 
able life is a hard, thankless life. How often time, money, 
and health are sacrificed, the patience sorely tried, and 
self-control lost, merely for the sake of display. If pa¬ 
rents would cling to simplicity, not indulging in expense 
for the gratification of vanity, and to follow fashion ; if 
they would maintain a noble independence in the right, 
unmoved by the influence of those, who, while professing 
Christ, refuse to lift the cross of self-denial, they would 
by their example itself give their children an invaluable 
education. The children would become men and women 
of moral worth, and, in their turn, would have courage to 
stand bravely for the right, even against the current of. 
fashion and popular opinion. 




AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


67 

Every act of the parents tells on the future of the 
children. In devoting time and money to the outward 
adorning and the gratification of perverted appetite, they 
are cultivating vanity, selfishness, and lust in the children. 
Mothers complain of being so burdened with care and 
labor that they cannot take time patiently to instruct 
their little ones, and to sympathize with them in their 
disappointments and trials. Young hearts yearn for sym¬ 
pathy and tenderness, and if they do not obtain it from 
their parents, they will seek it from sources that may en¬ 
danger both mind arid morals. I have heard mothers 
refuse their children some innocent pleasure, for lack of 
time and thought, while their busy fingers and weary eyes 
were diligently engaged on some useless piece of adorn¬ 
ing, something which could only serve to encourage vanity 
and extravagance in the children. “ As the twig is bent, 
the tree is inclined.” As the children approach manhood 
and womanhood, these lessons bear fruit in pride and 
moral worthlessness. The parents deplore the children’s 
faults, but are blind to the fact that they are but reaping 
the crop from seed of their own planting. 

Christian parents, take up your life burden, and think 
candidly of the sacred obligations that rest upon you. 
Make the word of God your standard, instead of follow¬ 
ing the fashions and customs of the world, the lust of 
the eye, and the pride of life. The future happiness of 
your families and the welfare of society depend largely 
upon the physical and moral education which your chil¬ 
dren receive in the first years of their life. If their 
tastes and habits are as simple in all things as they 
should be, if the dress is tidy, without extra adornment, 
mothers will find time to make their children happy, and 
teach them loving obedience. 

Do not send your little ones away to school too early. 
The mother should be careful how she trusts the mould¬ 
ing of the infant mind to other hands. Parents ought to 
be the best teachers of their children till they have 
reached eight or ten years of age. Their school-room 


68 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


should be the open air, amid the flowers and birds, and 
their text-book the treasures of nature. As fast as their 
minds can comprehend it, the parents should open before 
them God’s great book of nature. These lessons, given 
amid such surroundings, will not soon be forgotten. Great 
pains should be taken to prepare the soil of the heart for 
the “Sower” to scatter the good seed. If half the time 
and labor that is now worse than wasted in following the 
fashions of the world, were devoted to the cultivation of 
the minds of the children, to the formation of correct 
habits, a marked change would be apparent in families. 

Not long since I heard a mother say that she liked to 
see a house fitly constructed, that defects in the arrange¬ 
ment and mismatched wood-work in the finishing annoyed 
her. I do not condemn nice taste in this respect, but as 
I listened to her, I regretted that this nicety could not 
have been brought into her methods of managing her 
children. These were buildings for whose framing she 
was responsible ; yet their rough, uncourteous ways, their 
passionate, selfish natures and uncontrolled wills, were 
painfully apparent to others. Ill-formed characters, mis¬ 
matched pieces of humanity, indeed they were, yet the 
mother was blind to it all. The arrangement of her house 
was of more consequence to her than the symmetry of her 
children’s character. 

Cleanliness and order are Christian duties, yet even 
these may be carried too far, and made the one essential, 
while matters of greater importance are neglected. Those 
who neglect the interests of the children for these con¬ 
siderations, are tithing the mint and cummin, while they 
neglect the weightier matters of the law,—justice, mercy, 
and the love of God. 

Those children who are the most indulged' become 
willful, passionate, and unlovely. Would that parents 
could realize that upon judicious early training depends 
the happiness of both the parents and the children. Who 
are these little ones that are committed to our care ? 
— They are the younger members of the Lord’s family. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


69 


“Take this son, this daughter,” he says, “nurse them for 
me, and fit them up ‘ that they may be polished after the 
similitude of a palace,’ that they may shine in the courts 
of the Lord.” Precious work! important work! Yet we 
see mothers sighing for a wider field of labor, for some 
missionary work to do. If they could only go to Africa 
or India, they would feel that they were doing something. 
But to take up the little daily duties of life, and carry 
them forward faithfully, perseveringly, seems to them an 
unimportant thing. Why is this ? Is it not often because 
the mother’s work is so rarely appreciated ? She has a 
thousand cares and burdens of which the father seldom 
has any knowledge. Too often he returns home bringing 
with him his cares and business perplexities to over¬ 
shadow the family, and if he does not find everything just 
to his mind at home, he gives expression to his feelings 
in impatience and fault-finding. He can boast of what he 
has achieved through the day; but the mother’s work, to 
his mind, amounts to little, or at least is undervalued. 
To him her cares appear trifling. She has only to cook 
the meals, look after the children, sometimes a large 
family of them, and keep the house in order. She has 
tried all day to keep the domestic machinery running 
smoothly. She has tried, though tired and perplexed, to 
speak kindly and cheerfully, and to instruct the children 
and keep them in the right path. All this has cost effort, 
and much patience on her part. She cannot, in her turn, 
boast of what she has done. It seems to her as though 
she has accomplished nothing. But it is not so. Though 
the results of her work are not apparent, angels of God 
are watching the careworn mother, noting the burdens she 
carries from day to day. Her name may never appear 
upon the records of history, or receive the honor and 
applause of the world, as may that of the husband and 
father; but it is immortalized in the book of God. She 
is doing what she can, and her position in God’s sight is 
more exalted than that of a king upon his throne ; for 
she is dealing with character, she is fashioning minds. 


70 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


The mothers of the present day are making the society 
of the future. How important that their children be so 
brought up that they shall be aide to resist the tempta¬ 
tions they will meet on every side in later life ! 

Whatever may be his calling and its perplexities, let 
the father take into his home the same smiling counte¬ 
nance and pleasant tones with which he has all day 
greeted visitors and strangers. Let the wife feel that she 
can lean upon the large affections of her husband,— that 
his arms will strengthen and uphold her through all her 
toils and cares, that his influence will sustain hers, and 
her burden will lose half its weight. Are the children 
not his as well as hers ? 

Let the father seek to lighten the mother’s task. In 
the time that he would devote to selfish enjoyment of lei¬ 
sure, let him seek to become acquainted with his children — 
associate with them in their sports, in their work. Let 
him point them to the beautiful flowers, the lofty trees, in 
whose very leaves they can trace the work and love of 
God. He should teach them that 'the God who made all 
these things loves . the beautiful and the good. Christ 
pointed his disciples to the lilies of the field and the 
birds of the air, showing how God cares for them, and 
presenting this as evidence that he will care for man, 
who is of higher consequence than birds or flowers. Tell 
the children that however much time may be wasted in 
attempts at display, our appearance can never compare, 
for grace and beauty, with that of the simplest flowers of 
the field. Thus their minds may be drawn from the ar¬ 
tificial to the natural. They may learn that God has 
given them all these beautiful things to enjoy, and that 
he wants them to give him the heart’s best and holiest 
affections. 

Parents should seek to awaken in their children an 
interest in the study of physiology. Youth need to be 
instructed in regard to their own bodies. There are but 
few among the young who have any definite knowledge 
of the mysteries of life. The study of the wonderful hu- 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


7 1 


man organism, the relation and dependence of all its 
complicated parts, is one in which most mothers take 
little if any interest. They do not understand the influ¬ 
ence of the body upon the mind, or of the mind upon 
the body. They occupy themselves with needless trifles,, 
and then plead that they have no time to obtain the in¬ 
formation which they need in order to care properly for 
the health of their children. It is less trouble to trust 
them to the doctors. Thousands of children die through 
ignorance of the laws of their being. 

If parents themselves would obtain knowledge upon 
this subject, and feel the importance of putting it to a 
practical use, we should see a better condition of things. 
Teach your children to reason from cause to effect. Show 
them that if they violate the laws of their being, they 
must pay the penalty by suffering. If you cannot see 
as rapid improvement as you desire, do not be discour¬ 
aged, but instruct them patiently, and press on until vic¬ 
tory is gained. Continue to teach them in regard to their 
own bodies, and how to take care of them. Recklessness 
in regard to bodily health tends to recklessness in morals. 

Do not neglect to teach your children how to prepare 
healthful food. In giving them these lessons in physiology 
and in good cooking, you are giving them the first steps 
in some of the most useful branches of education, and in¬ 
culcating principles which are needful elements in a relig¬ 
ious education. 

All the lessons of which I have spoken in this article 
are needed. If properly heeded, they will be like a bul¬ 
wark that will preserve our children from the evils which 
are flooding the world. We want temperance at our ta¬ 
bles. We want houses where the God-given sunlight and 
the pure air of heaven are welcomed. We want a cheerful, 
happy influence in our homes. We must cultivate useful 
habits in our children, and must instruct them in the 
things of God. It costs something to do all this. It costs 
prayers and tears, and patient, oft-repeated instruction. 
We are sometimes put to our wit’s end to know what to 


72 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


do ; but we can take the children to God in our prayers, 
pleading that they may be kept from evil, praying, “Now, 
Lord, do thy work; soften and subdue the hearts of our 
children.” And he will hear us. He hearkens to the 
prayers of the weeping, careworn mothers. When Christ 
was on earth, the burdened mothers brought their chil¬ 
dren to him; they thought that if he would lay his hands 
upon them, they would have better courage to bring them 
up as they ought to go. The Saviour knew why these 
mothers came to him with their little ones, and he re¬ 
buked the disciples, who would have kept them away, 
saying, “ Suffer the little children to come unto me, and 
forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God.” * 
Jesus loves the little ones, and he is watching to see how 
parents are doing their work. 

Iniquity abounds on every hand, and if the children 
are saved, earnest, persevering effort must be put forth. 
Christ has said, “ I sanctify myself, that they also might 
be sanctified.” + He wanted his disciples to be sanctified, 
and he made himself their example, that they might fol¬ 
low him. What if fathers and mothers should take this 
same position, saying, “ I want my children to have stead¬ 
fast principles, and I will give them an example of this 
in my life”? Let the mother think no sacrifice too great, 
if made for the salvation of her household. Remember, 
Jesus gave his life for the purpose of rescuing you and 
yours from ruin. You will have his sympathy and help 
in this blessed work, and will be a laborer together with 
God. 

In whatever else we may fail, let us be thorough in 
the work for our children. If they go forth from the 
home-training pure and virtuous, if they fill the least and 
lowest place in God’s great plan of good for the world, 
our life-work can never be called a failure. 


* Mark io: 14. 


t John 17 : 19 . 







OVERBURDENED HOUSEKEEPERS. 


With many, the all-absorbing object of life,— that 
which justifies any expenditure or labor, — is to appear 
in the latest style. Education, health, and comfort are 
sacrificed at the shrine of fashion. Even in the table ar¬ 
rangements, fashion and show exert their baleful influence. 
The healthful preparation of food becomes a secondary 
matter. The serving of a great variety of dishes absorbs 
time, money, and taxing labor, without accomplishing any 
good. It may be fashionable to have half a dozen courses 
at a meal, but the custom is ruinous to health. It is a 
fashion that sensible men and women should condemn, by 
both precept and example. Do have a little regard for 
the life of your cook. “ Is not the life more than meat, 
and the body than raiment ? ” * 

In these days, domestic duties claim almost the whole 
time of the housekeeper. How much better it would be 
for the health of the household, if the table preparations 
were more simple. Thousands of lives are sacrificed every 
year at this altar,— lives which might have been prolonged 
had it not been for this endless round of manufactured 
duties. Many a mother goes down to the grave, who, had 
her habits been simple, might have lived to be a blessing 
in the home, the church, and the world. 

Satan is the inventor of these customs with which the 
-society of our day is overburdened, and many of the vo¬ 
taries of fashion know no better way than to spend their 
precious probationary time in the almost fruitless endeavor 
to keep up with her ever-changing decrees. What account 
can they render in the Judgment to God, who has a just 
claim upon their time, their strength, and all their powers ? 

There is a general cry all over our land, “ Where shall I 
find a good housekeeper, one who knows how to cook ? ” 
Indeed, the dearth of good cooks and housekeepers is 

( 73 ) 


* Matt. 6: 25. 



74 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


becoming alarming. If this state of things continues, we 
shall be left entirely destitute of good domestic help. 

But what is the reason for this fear of household duties 
among our girls ? The great reason is, that such labor 
has been considered a disgrace. As a general thing, the 
cook has not received the respect due her. I have seen 
people, once poor but now rich, whose good sense seemed 
to have fled with their poverty, and they became superficial 
in everything. Some who learn to be seamstresses, type¬ 
setters, proof-readers, book-keepers, or school-teachers, con¬ 
sider themselves too aristocratic to associate with the cook. 

These ideas have pervaded nearly all classes of society. 
The cook is made to feel that her occupation is one which 
places her low in the scale of social life, and that she 
must not expect to associate with the family on equal 
terms. Can you be surprised, then, that intelligent girls 
seek some other employment ? Do you marvel that there 
are so few educated cooks ? The only marvel is that there 
are so many who will submit to such treatment. 

The cook fills an important place in the household. 
She is preparing food to be taken into the stomach, to 
form brain, bone, and muscle. The health of all the mem¬ 
bers of the family depends largely upon her skill and 
intelligence. Household duties will never receive the at¬ 
tention they demand until those who faithfully perform 
them are held in proper respect. 

Self-love, self-worship, idolatry of self, have bound upon 
the necks of women a yoke grievous to be borne. They 
are weighed down with burdens heavy to carry. And 
this wearisome labor in the interest of fashion is repaid 
only by suffering and oppression. Christ, looking down 
the ages, saw the state of things which now exists, and 
to these overladen ones he gives the blessed invitation, 
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, 
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and 
learn of me ; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye 
shall find rest unto your souls.” * 


* Matt, ii : 28, 29. 



PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY. 


God has permitted the light of health reform to shine 
upon us in these last days, that by walking in the light 
we may escape many of the dangers to which we shall 
be exposed. Satan is working with great power to lead 
men to indulge appetite, gratify inclination, and spend 
their days in heedless folly. He presents attractions in 
a life of selfish enjoyment and of sensual indulgence. 
Intemperance saps the energies of both mind and body. 
He who is thus overcome has placed himself upon Satan’s 
ground, where he will be tempted and annoyed, and finally 
controlled at pleasure by the enemy of all righteousness. 

Parents need to be impressed with their obligation to 
give to the world children having well-developed charac¬ 
ter,— children who will have moral power to resist temp¬ 
tation, and whose life will be an honor to God and a 
blessing to their fellow-men. Those who enter upon act¬ 
ive life with firm principles, will be prepared to stand 
unsullied amid the moral pollutions of this corrupt age. 
Let mothers improve every opportunity to educate their 
children for usefulness. 

The work of the mother is sacred and important. She 
should teach her children, from the cradle up, habits of 
self-denial and self-control. Her time, in a special sense, 
belongs to her children. But if it is mostly occupied 
with the follies of this degenerate age, if society, dress, 
and amusements absorb her attention, her children will 
fail to be suitably educated. 

Many mothers who deplore the intemperance that ex¬ 
ists everywhere, do not look deep enough to see the cause. 
Too often it may be traced to the home table. Many a 
mother, even among those who profess to be Christians, 
is daily setting before her household rich and highly sea¬ 
soned food, which tempts the appetite and encourages 

( 75 ) 



CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


76 

overeating. In some families, flesh-meats constitute the 
principal article of diet, and in consequence, the blood is 
filled with cancerous and scrofulous humors. Then when 
suffering and disease follow, Providence is charged with 
that which is the result of a wrong course. I repeat: 
intemperance begins at the table, and, with the majority, 
appetite is indulged until indulgence becomes second 
nature. 

Whoever eats too much, or of food which is not health¬ 
ful, is weakening his power to resist the clamors of other 
appetites and passions. Many parents, to avoid the task 
of patiently educating their children to habits of self- 
denial, indulge them in eating and drinking whenever they 
please. The desire to satisfy the taste and to gratify in¬ 
clination does not lessen with the increase of years; and 
these indulged youth, as they grow up, are governed by 
impulse, slaves to appetite. When they take their place 
in society, and begin life for themselves, they are power¬ 
less to resist temptation. In the glutton, the tobacco- 
devotee, the wine-bibber, and the inebriate, we see the 
evil results of erroneous education and of self-indulgence. 

When we hear the sad lamentation of Christian men 
and women over the terrible evils of intemperance, the 
questions at once arise : Who have educated the youth ? 
who have fostered in them these unruly appetites ? who 
have neglected the solemn responsibility of forming their 
character for usefulness in this life, and for the society of 
heavenly angels in the next ? 

When parents and children meet at the final reckon¬ 
ing, what a scene will be presented ! Thousands of chil¬ 
dren who have been slaves to appetite and debasing vice, 
whose lives are moral wrecks, will stand face to face with 
the parents who made them what they are. Who but the 
parents must bear this fearful responsibility ? Did the 
Lord make these youth corrupt ? — Oh, no! Who, then, 
has done this fearful work ? Were not the sins of the 
parents transmitted to the children in perverted appetites 
and passions? and was not the work completed by those 




AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


77 


who neglected to train them according to the pattern 
which God has given? Just as surely as they exist, all 
these parents will pass in review before God. 

Satan is ready to do his work ; he will not neglect to 
present allurements which the children have no will or 
moral power to resist. I saw that, through his tempta¬ 
tions, he is instituting ever-changing fashions, and attract¬ 
ive parties and amusements, that mothers may be led 
to devote their time to frivolous matters, instead of to the 
education and training of their children. Our youth need 
mothers who will teach them from the cradle to control 
passion, to deny appetite, and to overcome selfishness. 
They need line upon line, precept upon precept, here a 
little and there a little. 

The Hebrews were taught how to train their children 
so that they might avoid the idolatry and wickedness of 
the heathen nations : “Therefore shall ye lay up these my 
words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for 
a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets be¬ 
tween your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, 
speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and 
when thou walkest by the way, when thou best down, 
and when thou risest up.”* 

Woman should fill the position which God originally 
designed for her, as her husband’s equal. The world needs 
mothers who are mothers not merely in name, but in every 
sense of the word. We may safely say that the distinctive 
duties of woman are more sacred, more holy, than those of 
man. Let woman realize the sacredness of her work, and 
in the strength and fear of God take up her life mission. 
Let her educate her children for usefulness in this world, 
and for a home in the better world. 

The position of a woman in her family is more sacred 
than that of the king upon his throne. Her great work 
is to make her life an example such as she would wish 
her children to copy. And by precept as well as example, 
she is to store their minds with useful knowledge, and lead 
them to self-sacrificing labor for the good of others. The 


* Deut. ii : 18, 19. 


7 * 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


great stimulus to the toiling, burdened mother should be 
that every child who is trained aright, and who has the 
inward adorning, the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, 
will shine in the courts of the Lord. 

I entreat Christian mothers to realize their responsi¬ 
bility, and to live, not to please themselves, but to glorify 
God. Christ pleased not himself, but took upon him the 
form of a servant. He left the royal courts, and clothed 
his divinity with humanity, that by his own example he 
might teach us how we may be exalted to the position 
of sons and daughters in the royal family, children of 
the heavenly King. But what are the conditions upon 
which we may obtain this great blessing? — “Come out 
from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, 
and touch not the unclean; and I will receive you, and 
will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and 
daughters.” * 

Christ humbled himself from the position of one equal 
with God to that of a servant. His home was in Naza¬ 
reth, a place proverbial for its wickedness. His parents 
were among the lowly poor. His trade was that of a 
carpenter, and he labored with his hands to do his part 
in sustaining the family. For thirty years he was sub¬ 
ject to his parents. The life of Christ points out our 
duty to be diligent in labor, and to provide for those in¬ 
trusted to our care. 

In his lessons of instruction to his disciples, Jesus 
taught them that his kingdom is not a worldly kingdom, 
where all are striving for the highest position ; but he gave 
them lessons in humility and self-sacrifice for the good 
of others. His humility did not consist in a low estimate 
of his own character and qualifications, but in adapting 
himself to fallen humanity, in order to raise them up 
with him to a higher life. Yet how few see anything at¬ 
tractive in the humility of Christ! Worldlings are con¬ 
stantly striving to exalt themselves one above another; 
but Jesus, the Son of God, humbled himself in order to 
uplift man. The true disciple of Christ will follow his 
example. 


* 2 Cor. 6 :17, 18. 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


79 


Would that the mothers of this generation might feel 
the sacredness of their mission, not trying to vie with 
their wealthy neighbors in appearance, but seeking to 
honor God by the faithful performance of duty. If right 
principles in regard to temperance were implanted in the 
youth who are to form and mould society, there would 
be little necessity for temperance crusades. Firmness of 
character, moral control, would prevail, and in the strength 
of Jesus the temptations of these last days would be re¬ 
sisted. 

It is a most difficult matter to unlearn the habits which 
have been indulged through life. The demon of intem¬ 
perance is of giant strength, and is not easily conquered. 
But let parents begin the crusade against it at their own 
firesides, in their own families, in the principles they 
teach their children from their very infancy, and then they 
may hope for success. It will pay you, mothers, to use 
the precious hours which are given you by God in form¬ 
ing the character of your children, and in teaching them 
to adhere strictly to the principles of temperance in eat¬ 
ing and drinking. 

A sacred trust is committed to parents, to guard the 
physical and moral constitution of their children, so that 
the nervous system may be well balanced, and the soul 
not endangered. Fathers and mothers should understand 
the laws of life, that they may not, through ignorance, 
allow wrong tendencies to develop in their children. The 
diet affects both physical and moral health. How care¬ 
fully, then, should mothers study to supply the table with 
the most simple, healthful food, in order that the digestive 
organs may not be weakened, the nerves unbalanced, or 
the instruction which they give their children counteracted. 

Satan sees that he cannot have so great power over 
minds when the appetite is kept under control as when 
it is indulged, and he is constantly working to lead men 
to indulgence. Under the influence of unhealthful food, 
the conscience becomes stupefied, the mind is darkened, 
and its susceptibility to impressions is impaired. But the 


8o 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


guilt of the transgressor is not lessened because the con¬ 
science has been violated till it has become insensible. 

Since a healthy state of mind depends upon the normal 
condition of the vital forces, what care should be exer¬ 
cised that neither stimulants nor narcotics be used ! Yet 
we see that a large number of those who profess to be 
Christians are using tobacco. They deplore the evils of in¬ 
temperance ; yet while speaking against the use of liquors, 
these very men will eject the juice of tobacco. There must 
be a change of sentiment with reference to tobacco-using 
before the root of the evil will be reached. We press 
the subject still closer. Tea and coffee are fostering the 
appetite for stronger stimulants. And then we come still 
closer home, to the preparation of food, and ask, Is tem¬ 
perance practiced in all things ? are the reforms which 
are essential to health and happiness carried out here ? 

Every true Christian will have control of his appetites 
and passions. Unless he is free from the bondage of ap¬ 
petite, he cannot be a true, obedient servant of Christ. 
The indulgence of appetite and passion blunts the effect 
of truth upon the heart. It is impossible for the spirit 
and power of the truth to sanctify a man, soul, body, and 
spirit, when he is controlled by sensual desires. 




EDUCATION AND HEALTH. 


For generations the prevailing system of education 
has been destructive to health, and even to life itself. 
Many parents and teachers fail to understand that in the 
child’s early years the greatest attention needs to be given 
to the physical constitution, that a healthy condition of 
body and brain may be secured. It has been the custom 
to encourage sending children to school when they were 
mere babies, needing a mother’s care. In many instances 
the little ones are crowded into ill-ventilated school-rooms, 
where they sit in improper positions, upon poorly con¬ 
structed benches, and as the result the young and tender 
frames often become deformed. Little children, whose 
limbs and muscles are not strong, and whose brains are 
undeveloped, are kept confined, to their injury. Many 
have but a slight hold on life to begin with, and confine¬ 
ment in school from day to day makes them nervous, and 
they become diseased. Their bodies are dwarfed in con¬ 
sequence of the exhausted condition of the nervous sys¬ 
tem. Yet when the lamp of life goes out, parents and 
teachers do not realize that they were in any way re¬ 
sponsible for quenching the vital spark. Standing by the 
grave of their child, the afflicted parents look upon their 
bereavement as a special dispensation of Providence, when 
it was their own inexcusably ignorant course that de¬ 
stroyed the young life. Under such circumstances, to* 
charge the death to Providence savors of blasphemy. God 
wants the little ones to live, and receive a right educa¬ 
tion, that they may develop a beautiful character, glorify 
him in this world, and praise him in the better world. 

Parents and teachers take the responsibility of training 
these children, yet how few of them realize their duty 
before God to become acquainted with the physical or- 

6 (81) 



82 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


ganism, that they may know how to preserve the life and 
health of those who are placed in their charge. Thou¬ 
sands of children die because of the ignorance of those 
who care for them. 

Many children have been ruined for life, and some 
have died, as the result of the injudicious course of par¬ 
ents and teachers, in forcing the young intellect while 
neglecting the physical nature. The children were too 
young to be in a school-room. Their minds were taxed 
with lessons when they should have been left untasked 
until the physical strength was sufficient to support men¬ 
tal effort. Small children should be as free as lambs 
to run out-of-doors. They should be allowed the most 
favorable opportunity to lay the foundation for a sound 
constitution. 

Youth who are kept in school, and confined to close 
study, cannot have sound health. Mental effort without 
corresponding physical exercise, calls an undue proportion 
of blood to the brain, and thus the circulation is unbal¬ 
anced. The brain has too much blood, while the extremi¬ 
ties have too little. The hours of study and recreation 
should be carefully regulated, and a portion of the time 
should be spent in physical labor. When the habits of 
students in eating and drinking, dressing and sleeping, 
are in accordance with physical law, they can obtain an 
education without sacrificing health. The lesson must be 
often repeated, and pressed home to the conscience, that 
education will be of little value if there is no physical 
strength to use it after it is gained. 

Students should not be permitted to take so many 
studies that they will have no time for physical training. 
The health cannot be preserved unless some portion of 
each day is given to muscular exertion in the open air. 
Stated hours should be devoted to manual labor of some 
kind, anything which will call into action all parts of the 
body. Equalize the taxation of the mental and the physi¬ 
cal powers, and the mind of the student will be refreshed. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


83 

If he is diseased, physical exercise will often help the 
system to recover its normal condition. When students 
leave college, they should have better health and a better 
understanding of the laws of life than when they entered 
it. The health should be as sacredly guarded as the 
character. 

Many students are deplorably ignorant of the fact that 
diet exerts a powerful influence upon the health. Some 
have never made a determined effort to control the ap¬ 
petite, or to observe proper rules in regard to diet. They 
eat too much, even at their meals, and some eat between 
meals whenever the temptation is presented. If those 
who profess to be Christians desire to solve the questions 
so perplexing to them, why their minds are so dull, why 
their religious aspirations are so feeble, they need not, in 
many instances, go farther than the table ; here is cause 
enough, if there were no other. 

Many separate themselves from God by their indul¬ 
gence of appetite. He who notices the fall of a sparrow, 
who numbers the very hairs of the head, marks the sin 
of those who indulge perverted appetite at the expense 
of weakening the physical powers, benumbing the intel¬ 
lect, and deadening the moral perceptions. 

The teachers themselves should give proper attention 
to the laws of health, that they may preserve their own 
powers in the best possible condition, and by example as 
well as by precept may exert a right influence upon their 
pupils. The teacher whose physical powers are already 
enfeebled by disease or overwork, should pay especial 
attention to the laws of life. He should take time for 
recreation. He should not take upon himself responsibil¬ 
ities outside of his school-work, which will so tax him, 
physically or mentally, that his nervous system will be 
unbalanced ; for in this case he will be unfitted to deal 
with minds, and cannot do justice to himself or to his 
pupils. 

Our institutions of learning should be provided with 


8 4 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


every facility for instruction regarding the mechanism of 
the human system. Students should be taught how to 
breathe, how to read and speak so that the strain will 
not come on the throat and lungs, but on the abdominal 
muscles. Teachers need to' educate themselves in this di¬ 
rection. Our students should have a thorough training, 
that they may enter upon active life with an intelligent 
knowledge of the habitation which God has given them. 
Teach them that they must be learners as long as they 
live. And while you are teaching them, remember that 
they will teach others. Your lessons will be repeated 
for the benefit of many more than sit before you day 
by day. 


DRESS. 


Fashion rules the world ; and she is a tyrannical 
mistress, often compelling her devotees to submit to the 
greatest inconvenience and discomfort. Fashion taxes with¬ 
out reason, and collects without mercy. She has a fasci¬ 
nating power, and stands ready to criticise and ridicule 
all who do not follow in her wake. 

Satan, the instigator and prime mover in the ever- 
changing, never-satisfying decrees of fashion, is always 
busy devising something new that shall prove an injury 
to physical and moral health ; and he triumphs that his 
devices succeed so well. Death laughs that the health- 
destroying folly and blind zeal of the worshipers at fash¬ 
ion’s shrine bring them so easily under his dominion. 
Happiness and the favor of God are laid upon her altar. 

We see the world absorbed in vain amusements. The 
first and best thoughts of the larger portion are given to 
dress, and the culture of mind and heart is neglected. 
Even among those who profess to love and keep the com¬ 
mandments of God, there are some who ape this class as 
nearly as they possibly can and retain the name of 
Christian. Some of the young are so eager for display 
that they are willing to give up even the Christian name 
if they can only indulge their vanity in dress. 

On Sunday many of the popular churches appear more 
like a theater than like a place for the worship of God. 
Every style of fashionable dress is displayed there. Many 
of the poor have not courage to enter such houses of 
worship. Their plain dress, though it may be neat, is in 
marked contrast with that of their more wealthy sisters, 
and this difference causes them to feel embarrassed. 
Some try to appear like the wealthy by trimming goods 
of an inferior quality in imitation of more costly apparel. 
Poor girls, receiving but small wages, often spend their 

(85) 



86 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


last cent in order to dress like those who are not obliged 
to earn their own living. In consequence, they have noth¬ 
ing laid by for sickness, nothing to put into the treasury 
of God, no time to improve the mind or to study God’s 
word, no time for secret prayer or the prayer-meeting. 

It is a lamentable fact that many professed Christian 
women take the lead in patronizing the fashions ; and those 
who make no pretensions to religion, follow in their steps. 
Some who are in humble circumstances, in their efforts to 
keep pace with the ever-changing styles of dress, endure 
privation, and work far beyond their strength, in order to 
retain their place in fashionable society. This temptation 
is so strong that some, in trying to gain their object, 
are guilty of dishonesty and theft. Many are led to ruin 
by the desire for self-adornment. Professed Christians who 
have, by their example, opened a door of temptation to 
their weak sisters, will have a fearful account to meet in 
the day of final reckoning. Inexperienced ones, charmed 
with the respect paid to those who dress stylishly, become 
so infatuated that nothing is too precious to exchange for 
artificial decorations. 

While superfluous trimming and ornaments are to be 
avoided, as opposed to our profession as followers of the 
meek and lowly Jesus, we would not discourage the exer¬ 
cise of correct taste, neatness, and order in dress. There 
are those who are careless of their apparel, and are al¬ 
ways harping on pride in dress. They think it a virtue 
to be untidy, and to dress without order or taste. They 
class decency and neatness with pride, and excuse them¬ 
selves for their neglect of apparel, even upon the Sab¬ 
bath, under pretense of carrying out that separation from 
the world which the word of God requires of his people. 
If these persons had an engagement to meet a friend 
honored by the world, and they wished to be especially 
favored by him, they would exert themselves to appear 
in his presence with the best and neatest apparel they 
could obtain. Yet when they meet upon the Sabbath to 
worship the great God, they think it is of no consequence 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


87 

in what dress they appear, or what is the condition of 
their person. In His house, which is as the audience- 
chamber of the Most High, where heavenly angels are in 
attendance, they assemble with but little respect or rever¬ 
ence. All who meet upon the Sabbath to worship God, 
should, if possible, have neat, well-fitting, comely gar¬ 
ments to wear in the house of worship. It is a dishonor 
to the Sabbath, to God, and to his house, for those who 
profess to believe that the Sabbath is the holy of the 
Lord, and honorable, to wear upon that day the soiled 
clothing which they have worn through the labors of the 
week, if they can obtain anything more suitable. 

The followers of Christ are represented by him as the 
salt of the earth and the light of the world. Without 
the saving influence of Christians, the world would perish 
in its own corruption. Look upon the class of professed 
Christians described, who are careless of their dress and 
person, and loose in business transactions. Think you 
if our Saviour were upon earth he would point to them as 
the salt of the earth and the light of the world ? — No, 
never. True Christians are elevated in their conversation ; 
and while they believe it to be a sin to condescend to 
foolish flattery, they are courteous, kind, and benevolent. 
Their words are those of sincerity and truth. They are 
faithful in their dealings with their brethren and with the 
world. In their dress they avoid superfluity and display ; 
but their clothing is modest, and arranged upon the per¬ 
son with order and taste. They are more anxious for 
their bodies to be in a condition to glorify God, than 
they are to be clothed according to the latest dictates of 
fashion. 

The suffering caused among women by unhealthful 
dress cannot be estimated. Many have become life-long 
invalids through their compliance with the demands of 
fashion. Health and life have been sacrificed to the in¬ 
satiable goddess. Many seem to think they have a right 
to treat their bodies as they please ; but they forget that 
their bodies are not their own. The Creator who formed 


88 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


them has claims upon them that they cannot lightly throw 
off. Every needless transgression of the laws of our be¬ 
ing is virtually a transgression of the law of God, and is 
sin in the sight of Heaven. The Creator knew how to 
form the human body. He did not need to consult the 
mantua-makers in regard to their ideas of beauty. God, 
who created everything that is lovely and glorious in 
nature, understood how to make the human form beauti¬ 
ful and healthy. The modern improvements upon his 
plan are insulting to the Creator. They deform that 
which he made perfect. 

It is Satan’s design so to pervert every function of 
our being that life may be made miserable, and God may 
be dishonored in the creatures he has made. If women 
make the customs of the world their criterion, they will 
become unfitted, both physically and mentally, for the 
duties of life. Many have done themselves untold injury 
by compressing the waist. Their power to do good in 
the family and in society is greatly lessened; and if they 
are mothers, their children are robbed of vitality. When 
the waist is compressed, the circulation of the blood is 
impeded, and the internal organs, cramped and crowded 
out of place, cannot perform their work properly. It is 
impossible, under such circumstances, to take a full in¬ 
spiration. Thus the pernicious habit of breathing only 
with the upper part of the lungs is formed, and feeble¬ 
ness and disease are often the result. 

The dangers resulting from compression of the waist 
are not realized by the majority of women, though many 
able pens have treated upon the subject. Many claim that 
tight-lacing is now nearly or quite abandoned, and such 
may think these remarks are uncalled-for; but it is true 
to-day that the clothing of most women is worn too tight 
for the proper action of the vital organs. Every article 
of dress upon the person should be worn so loose that 
in raising the arms the clothing will be correspondingly 
lifted. 

Another error in the dress of women of the present 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


89 

day is that of wearing their skirts so that the weight is 
sustained by the hips alone. This heavy weight, pressing 
upon the bowels, drags them downward, and causes weak¬ 
ness of the stomach and a feeling of lassitude, which leads 
the sufferer to incline forward. This tends further to 
cramp the lungs, and prevent their proper action. The 
blood becomes impure, the pores of the skin fail in their 
office, sallowness and disease result, and beauty and health 
are gone. Ladies may resort to cosmetics to restore the 
tint of the complexion, but they cannot thus bring back 
the glow of health. That which renders the skin dark 
and dingy, also clouds the spirits, and destroys cheerful¬ 
ness and peace of mind. Every woman who values health 
should avoid hanging any weight upon the hips. The 
shoulders should sustain the weight of every article of 
clothing worn upon the person. This will go far to pre¬ 
vent the weaknesses which prevail among women to such 
an alarming extent. 

The limbs, which should have even more covering than 
any other portion of the body, because farthest from the 
center of circulation, are often not suitably protected; 
while over the vital organs, where there is naturally more 
warmth than in other portions of the body, there is an 
undue proportion of covering. The heavy draperies often 
worn upon the back, induce heat and congestion in the 
sensitive organs which lie beneath. This fashionable 
attire is one of the greatest causes of disease among 
women. Perfect health depends upon perfect circulation. 
If the limbs are properly clothed, fewer skirts are needed. 
These should not be so heavy as to impede the motion 
of the limbs, nor so long as to gather the dampness and 
filth of the ground, and their weight should be sus¬ 
pended from the shoulders. The dress should fit easily, 
obstructing neither the circulation of the blood, nor a 
free, full, natural respiration. The feet should be suitably 
protected from cold and damp. Clad in this way, we can 
take exercise in the open air, even in the dew of morn¬ 
ing or evening, or after a fall of snow or rain, without 


90 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


fear of taking cold. Exercise in the invigorating air of 
heaven is necessary to a healthy circulation of the blood.. 
It is the best safeguard against colds, coughs, and the 
internal congestions which lay the foundation of so many 
diseases. True dress reform regulates every article of 
clothing. If those ladies who are failing in health would 
lay off their fashionable robes, clothe themselves suitably 
for out-door enjoyment, and exercise in the open air, 
carefully at first, increasing the amount as they can en¬ 
dure it, many of them might recover health, and live to 
bless the world with their example and the work of their 
hands. 

It is not the will of God that men and women should 
die prematurely, leaving their work unfinished. He would 
have us live out the full measure of our days, with every, 
organ free to do its allotted work. Many complain of 
the providences of God when disease and death remove 
members of the household; but it is unjust to charge 
God with what is but the sure result of their own trans¬ 
gression of natural laws. 

Fashionable mothers clothe their little girls as un-' 
healthfully as they do themselves. Their waists are com¬ 
pressed at an early age, and the limbs are left with but 
slight protection, when the forces of nature need every 
advantage to enable them to perfect the physical frame. 
The limbs were not formed to endure exposure, as was 
the face. Children who are clothed according to fashion 
cannot be out-doors much, unless the weather is mild. 
Therefore they are kept in ill-ventilated rooms, for fear 
of the cold ; and well they may be, with their fashion¬ 
able .style of clothing. But if they were comfortably 
clothed, it would not harm them to exercise freely in the ( 
open air summer or winter. Unhealthful dress brings^ 
many a child to a state of invalidism, or, which in many 
cases may be preferable, to an early death. Thus fashion 
fills the homes of its slaves with invalids, and our ceme¬ 
teries with little graves. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


91 


Mother, do you want your child to live and wear the 
bloom of health ? Then teach her to dress healthfully. 
If you love her and desire her good, why do you teach 
her by your example that it is no sin to mar the human 
form divine ? What reason can you render to the Creator 
for deforming his handiwork? Turn away from the fash¬ 
ion plates, and study the human organism. We are fear¬ 
fully and wonderfully made, and we are to present our 
bodies a living sacrifice to God. How can Christian 
mothers be worshipers at the shrine of fashion, and yet 
preserve their loyalty to the God of heaven ? It is im¬ 
possible ; “ye cannot serve God and mammon.”* You 
cannot devote your time and talents to the world, and yet 
keep your mind and body in a condition to do the work 
committed to you, of training your children for God, and 
aiding them in a physical development that shall be a 
blessing to them to the end of life. 

Little boys also are dressed so as to leave the lower 
limbs with far less protection than the upper part of the 
body. The limbs, being remote from the center of cir¬ 
culation, demand greater protection, instead of less. The 
veins which convey the blood to the extremities are large, 
providing for the flow of a sufficient quantity of blood 
to afford warmth and nutrition. But when the blood is 
chilled from these parts, the veins contract, and the cir¬ 
culation is retarded. Not only do the extremities suffer 
from cold, but through lack of nutrition the limbs do not 
attain their natural development. A good circulation 
purifies the blood, and secures health ; while a poor cir¬ 
culation renders the blood impure, and induces congestion 
of the vital organs. 

Mothers, why not clothe your boys and girls comfort^ 
ably and properly ? Let their dress be simple, loose, 
and comfortable; clothe their limbs, and especially the 
ankles, warmly and evenly; then let them go out and 
exercise in the open air, and live to enjoy health and 
happiness. It will take moral courage to break away 


* Luke 16 :13. 


9 2 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


from the chains of fashion, and dress and educate your 
children with reference to health ; but the result will 
abundantly repay all the self-denial and inconvenience 
occasioned. 

Mothers sacrifice to fashion the God-given time which 
should be devoted to forming the character of their 
children. Health is impaired by bending over sewing, 
within doors, shut away from the sunshine and pure air. 
Opportunities are lost that should be improved in edu¬ 
cating the mind, and storing it with useful knowledge. 
Thus they are not qualified to instruct and train their 
children for usefulness in this world, or to fit them for 
the better world. Women are bending their shoulders to 
a heavy cross. Should Christ demand of them, as his 
disciples, so great a sacrifice, they would feel that it was 
indeed too great, and the cross too heavy. Christ requires 
none of his followers to lift so heavy a burden as that 
to which they subject themselves as slaves of fashion. 

If Christian women would lead out in the good work, 
and set the example of dressing with neatness and sim¬ 
plicity, and with regard to health, there would be a uni¬ 
versal reform. If they would work from an elevated 
standpoint, they could bring their habits of life into con¬ 
formity with the laws of their being, and live in obedi¬ 
ence to both the physical and the moral requirements of 
God. Then there would be less money, less nerve force, 
less physical strength, squandered for artificial decora¬ 
tions, to the sacrifice of natural beauty. We should have 
more practical wives and mothers, and in many families 
that are now wretched because of their incorrect ideas of 
life, there would be a happy change. 

The human heart has never been in harmony with 
the requirements of God. Human reasoning has ever 
sought to evade or set aside the simple, direct instruc¬ 
tions of his word. Those precepts which enjoin self-denial 
and humility, which require modesty and simplicity in 
conversation, deportment, and apparel, have, in every age, 
been disregarded, even by the majority of those who pro- 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


93 


fessed to be followers of Christ. The result has ever been 
the same, — the adoption of the fashions, customs, and 
principles of the world. 

There are few who understand their own hearts. The 
vain, trifling lovers of fashion may claim to be followers 
of Christ, but their dress and conversation show what 
occupies the mind and engages the affections. The out¬ 
side appearance is an index to the heart. True refine¬ 
ment does not find satisfaction in the adorning of the 
body for display. A modest, godly woman will dress 
modestly. Simplicity of apparel always makes a sensible 
woman appear to the best advantage. A refined, cultured 
mind will be revealed in the choice of simple and appro¬ 
priate attire. In the sanctified heart there is no place for 
thoughts of needless adornment. 

Study the fashions less, and the character of Jesus 
more. The greatest and holiest of men was also the 
meekest. In his character, majesty and humility were 
blended. He could summon the hosts of heaven at will; 
the command of worlds was in his power; yet for our 
sake he became poor, that we, through his poverty, might 
be made rich. The attractions of this world, its glory 
and its pride, had no fascination for him. In the cluster 
of Christian graces, he made meekness and humility 
prominent. Christ noticed the devotion to dress, and he 
cautioned, yea, he commanded, his followers not to be¬ 
stow too much thought upon it. “ Why take ye thought 
for raiment ? Consider the lilies of the field, how they 
grow ; they toil not, neither do they spin ; yet I say 
unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not 
arrayed like one of these.” * 

The apostles thus describe the adornment that should 
be sought by Christians : “ Whose adorning, let it not 
be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of 
wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it 
be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not cor¬ 
ruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, 
which is in the sight of God of great price.” + “In like man- 


* Matt. 6: 28, 29. 


t x Peter 3:3. 


94 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


ner, also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, 
with shamefacedness and sobriety ; not with broidered 
hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array ; but (which be- 
cometh women professing godliness) with good works.”* 
Pride and extravagance in dress are sins to which woman 
is especially prone ; hence these injunctions relate directly 
to her. 

Of how little value are gold or pearls or costly array, 
when compared with the meekness and loveliness of 
Christ! Physical loveliness consists in symmetry — the 
harmonious proportion of parts ; but spiritual loveliness 
consists in harmony with Christ — the likeness of our souls 
to him. The grace of Christ is indeed a priceless adorn¬ 
ment. It elevates and ennobles the possessor; and it 
also has an influence upon others, attracting them to the 
Source of light and blessing. 

Christian sisters, labor far less to grow into the ever- 
changing fashions of this age. Study rather the great 
pattern, Jesus Christ, that you may not grow apart from 
him. Manifest a determined purpose to abide in the 
Vine. If you abide in Christ, you will bear much fruit. 
But as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide 
in the vine, “ No more can ye,” says Christ, “ except ye 
abide in me.”t 

The growth of the soul in grace* in purity, in come¬ 
liness, is little by little — a progressive work; but it 
must go forward unceasingly. The fruit is ever ap¬ 
proaching perfection ; the Christian is constantly assim¬ 
ilating the ways and will of Christ. But with many who 
claim to be Christians there is a painful certainty that 
they are not progressing heavenward, but are swayed by 
the customs and practices of the world. Fashions the 
most unlovely and unhealthful, the most contradictory to 
the laws of nature, are readily accepted by them. By 
eagerly beholding these fashions, they become changed 
to the likeness of what they so much admire. Thus they 
hasten to adopt the world’s standard, where pride and 
fashion complete in them the transformation which Satan 


*i Tim. 2:9. 


t Tohn 15 :i4. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


95 


delights to see accomplished, and they become unstable 
as water. The steadfast, silent working of true piety 
loses its vitality and consistency; “ faith, if it hath not 
works, is dead, being alone.”* 

There is a dress which every child and youth may 
innocently seek to obtain. It is the righteousness of the 
saints. If they will only be as willing and persevering 
in obtaining this as they are in fashioning their gar¬ 
ments after the standard of worldly society, they will 
very soon be clothed with the righteousness of Christ, 
and their names will not be blotted out of the book of 
life. Mothers, as well as youth and children, need to 
pray, “ Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a 
right spirit within me.” + This purity of heart and love¬ 
liness of spirit are more precious than gold, both for time 
and for eternity. Only the pure in heart shall see God. 

Then, mothers, teach your children, line upon line and 
precept upon precept, that the righteousness of Christ is 
the only dress in which they can be admitted into 
heaven, and that robed in this apparel they will be con¬ 
stantly doing duties in this life which will glorify God. 

•James a: 17. 


t Ps. 51: io. 


GENERAL HYGIENE. 


GOD designed that man should be active and useful; 
yet the life of many is little more than mere existence. 
They never brighten the path of others, never bless those 
around them ; on the contrary, they are only a burden. 
On the side of right their influence is little more than a 
cipher. Scarcely an instance of disinterested benevolence 
brightens their life record. No pleasant memory survives 
them at their death ; for there was no true goodness to 
leave a loving impress, even on the hearts of their 
friends. Such a life is a sad failure. It is the life of an 
unfaithful steward, who forgets that his Creator has 
claims upon him. Selfish interests attract his mind, and 
lead to forgetfulness of God, and of his purpose in the 
creation of man. 

God placed Adam and Eve in Paradise, and sur¬ 
rounded them with everything that was useful and 
lovely. He planted for them a beautiful garden, in which 
no herb or flower or tree was lacking that might be for 
use or ornament. Paradise delighted their senses, but 
this was not enough ; they must have something to call 
into play the wonderful machinery of the human system. 
Had happiness consisted in doing nothing, man in his 
state of holy innocence would have been left unemployed. 
But he who formed man, knew what would be for his 
best happiness, and he no sooner created him than he 
gave him his appointed work. A life of useful labor is 
indispensable to the physical, mental, and moral well¬ 
being of man. 

God has given us all something to do ; and in the 
discharge of various duties, our lives will be made useful, 
and we shall be blessed. “Not slothful in business,”* is 
the injunction of the apostle Paul. A person might as 
well expect a harvest where he has not sown, as to ex- 

(96) 


* Rom. 12:11. 



BIBLE HYGIENE. 


9 7 


pect to be saved while living in indolence. The race is 
not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, yet 
“he shall become poor that dealeth with a slack hand.”* 
Those who are diligent in business may not always be 
prospered ; but drowsiness and idleness are sure to grieve 
the Spirit of God, and destroy true godliness. A stag¬ 
nant pool becomes offensive; but a pure, flowing brook 
spreads health and gladness over the land. 

Riches and idleness are thought by some to be bless¬ 
ings indeed ; but those who are always busy, and who 
cheerfully go about their daily tasks, are the most happy, 
and enjoy the best health. The healthful weariness which 
results from well-regulated labor secures to them the ben¬ 
efits of refreshing sleep. The sentence that man must 
toil for his daily bread, and the promise of future happi¬ 
ness and glory, both came from the same throne, and 
both are blessings. 

Those who are in possession of wealth and leisure, 
and yet have no purpose in life, have little to arouse 
them to either mental or physical activity. Thus many 
a woman loses her health, and is driven to seek some 
medical institution for treatment. Here attendants are 
hired, at great expense, to rub, stretch, and exercise 
the muscles which have become powerless by inaction. 
She hires servants, that she may live a life of idleness, 
and then hires other servants to exercise the muscles, 
enfeebled by disuse. What consummate folly ! How much 
wiser and better for women, young or old, to brave the 
sneers of fashion’s votaries, and obey the dictates of 
common sense and the laws of life! By the cheerful 
performance of domestic duties, the idle daughters of 
our land might become useful and happy members of 
society. For many, such labor is a more effective and 
profitable “movement cure” than the best inventions of 
the physicians. 

Young men, as well as young women, often manifest 
a sad lack of earnest purpose and moral independence. 
To dress, to smoke, to talk nonsense, and to indulge 


* Prov. io : 4. 

7 


*98 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


their passion for amusement, is the ideal of happiness, 
even with many who profess to be Christians. It is 
painful to think of the time thus misspent. Hours that 
should be given to the study of the Scriptures or to active 
labor for Christ, are worse than wasted. Life was given 
for a true and holy purpose. It is too precious to be 
thus squandered. I entreat you who have taken the 
name of Christ, Examine your hearts, and pass sentence 
upon yourselves. Do you not love pleasure more than 
you love God or your fellow-men ? There is work to be 
done; there are souls to save ; there are battles to fight; 
there is a heaven to win. The mind, with all its capa¬ 
bilities, must be strengthened, and stored with the treas¬ 
ures of divine wisdom. In the strength of God you may 
.do noble work for the Master. 

God designed that all should be workers. Upon those 
Avhose abilities and opportunities are the greatest, rest 
the heaviest responsibilities; and upon them will fall the 
heaviest condemnation if they are unfaithful to their trust. 
Even beasts of burden put to shame the do-nothing, who, 
endowed with reason and a knowledge of the divine will, 
refuses to perform his part in God’s great plan. 

The indolence of the many, occasions the overwork of 
the few. A large class refuse to think or act for them¬ 
selves. They have no disposition to step out of the old 
ruts of prejudice and error; by their perversity they 
block up the way of advancement, and force the stand¬ 
ard-bearers of the right to more heroic efforts in their 
march forward. Earnest and devoted laborers are failing 
for want of a helping hand, and are sinking beneath their 
double burden. Their graves are way-marks along the 
upward path of reform. 

The true glory and joy of life are found only by the 
working man and woman. Labor brings its own reward, 
and sweet is the rest that is purchased by the fatigue of 
a well-spent day. But there is a self-imposed toil which 
is injurious and utterly unsatisfying. It is that which 
gratifies unsanctified ambition, which seeks display for 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


99 


notoriety. The love of possession or appearance leads 
thousands to carry to excess that which, in itself, is law¬ 
ful— to devote all the strength of mind and body to that 
which should occupy but a small portion of their time. 
They bend every energy to the acquisition of wealth or 
honor, making all other objects secondary ; they toil un¬ 
flinchingly for years to accomplish their purpose ; yet 
when the goal is reached, and the coveted reward se¬ 
cured, it turns to ashes in their grasp ; it is a shadow. 
They have given their life to that which profiteth not. 

Yet all the lawful pursuits of life may be safely fol¬ 
lowed, if the spirit is kept free from selfish hopes and the 
contamination of deceit and envy. The business life of 
the Christian should be marked with the same purity that 
held sway in the workshop of the holy Nazarine. It is 
the working men and women — those who are willing to 
bear responsibilities with faith and hope — who find that 
which is great and good in life. Patient laborers, remem¬ 
ber that those were sturdy workmen whom Christ chose 
from among the fishermen of Galilee and the tent-makers 
of Corinth, to labor with him in the work of salvation. 
From these humble men went forth a power that will be 
felt through all eternity. 

The angels are workers ; they are ministers of God 
to the children of men. Those slothful servants who look 
forward to a heaven of inaction, have false ideas of what 
constitutes heaven. The Creator has prepared no place 
for the gratification of sinful indolence. Heaven is a 
place of interested activity ; yet to the weary and heavy 
laden, to those who have fought the good fight of faith, 
it will be a glorious rest; for the youth and vigor of 
immortality will be theirs, and against sin and Satan 
they will no longer have to contend. To these ener¬ 
getic workers a state of eternal indolence would be irk¬ 
some. It would be no heaven to them. The path of 
toil appointed to the Christian on earth may be hard and 
wearisome, but it is honored by the footprints of the 
Redeemer, and he is safe who follows in that sacred way. 


100 CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 

The idea that those who have overtaxed their mental 
and physical powers, or who have broken down in body 
or mind, must suspend activity in order to regain 
health, is a great error. In a few cases, entire rest for a 
time may be necessary ; but such instances are rare. In 
most cases the change would be too great to be beneficial. 

Those who have broken down by intense mental 
labor, should have rest from wearing thought; yet 
to teach them that it is wrong, or even dangerous, for 
them to exercise their mental powers at all, leads them 
to view their condition as worse than it really is. They 
are nervous, and finally become a burden to themselves, 
as well as to those who care for them. In this state of 
mind, their recovery is doubtful indeed. 

Those who have overtaxed their physical powers 
should not be advised to forego labor entirely. To shut 
them away from all exercise would in many cases pre¬ 
vent their restoration to health. The will goes with the 
labor of the hands ; and when the will-power is dormant, 
the imagination becomes abnormal, so that it is impossible 
for the sufferer to resist disease. Inactivity is the great¬ 
est curse that could come upon one in such a condition. 

Nature’s fine and wonderful mechanism needs to be con¬ 
stantly exercised in order to be in a condition to accom¬ 
plish the object for which it was designed. The do- 
nothing system is a dangerous one in any case. Physical 
exercise in the direction of useful labor has a happy in¬ 
fluence upon the mind, strengthens the muscles, improves 
the circulation, and gives the invalid the satisfaction of 
knowing how much he can endure, and that he is not 
wholly useless in this busy world ; whereas, if this is re¬ 
stricted, his attention is turned to himself, and he is in 
constant danger of exaggerating his difficulties. If inva¬ 
lids would engage in some well-directed physical exercise, 
using their strength but not abusing it, they would find 
it an effective agent in their recovery. 

When the weather will permit, those who are engaged 
in sedentary occupations, should, if possible, walk out in 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


IOI 


the open air every day, summer and winter. The clothing 
should be suitable, and the feet well protected. Walk¬ 
ing is often more beneficial to health than all the medi¬ 
cine that can be prescribed. For those who can endure 
it, walking is preferable to riding; for it brings all the 
muscles into exercise. The lungs also are forced into 
healthy action, since it is impossible to walk in the brac¬ 
ing air of a winter morning without inflating them. 

Exercise aids the dyspeptic by giving the digestive 
organs a healthy tone. To engage in deep study or vio¬ 
lent exercise immediately after eating, hinders the di¬ 
gestive process ; for the vitality of the system, which is 
needed to carry on the work of digestion, is called away 
to other parts. But a short walk after a meal, with the 
head erect and the shoulders back, exercising moderately, 
is a great benefit. The mind is diverted from self to the 
beauties of nature. The less the attention is called to 
the stomach, the better. If you are in constant fear that 
your food will hurt you, it most assuredly will. Forget 
your troubles ; think of something cheerful. 

More people die for want of exercise than from over¬ 
work ; very many more rust out than wear out. In idle¬ 
ness the blood does not circulate freely, and the changes 
in the vital fluid, so necessary to health and life, do not 
take place. The little mouths in the skin, through which 
the body breathes, become clogged, thus making it im¬ 
possible to eliminate impurities through that channel. This 
throws a double burden upon the other excretory organs, 
and disease is soon produced. Those who accustom them¬ 
selves to exercising in the open air, generally have a vig¬ 
orous circulation. Men and women, young or old, who 
desire health and who would enjoy life, should remember 
that they cannot have these without a good circulation. 
Whatever their business or inclinations, they should feel 
it a religious duty to make wise efforts to overcome the 
conditions of disease which have kept them in-doors. 


102 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


MENTAL INFLUENCE. 

The Lord has shown me that many who are always 
complaining, and are apparently feeble, are not in so bad 
a condition as they think. Some of them have a powerful 
will, which, if exercised in the right direction, would con¬ 
trol the imagination, and be a potent means of resisting 
disease ; but it is too frequently the case that the will is 
on the wrong side, and stubbornly refuses to yield to reason. 
That will has settled the matter : invalids they are, and 
the attention given to invalids they will have, irrespective 
of the judgment of others. 

Thousands are sick and dying around us who might 
get well and live, if they would. But their imagination 
controls them. They fear they will be made worse if they 
engage in any physical labor, when this is just the change 
they need. They should exercise their will-power and rise 
above their difficulties, engage in useful employment suited 
to their strength, and forget that they have aching backs, 
sides, lungs, and heads. 

Let invalids have an exalted aim in life, seeking to be 
useful and efficient in their own families, and to become 
useful members of society ; let them not require the atten¬ 
tion of the whole family to be centered on themselves, 
nor draw largely upon the sympathies of others ; let them 
do their part in bestowing love and sympathy upon the 
unfortunate, remembering that each has woes and trials 
peculiar to himself. In thus blessing others they will 
realize an abundant blessing themselves. 

Those who, so far as it is possible, engage in the work 
of doing good to others, by giving practical demonstration 
of their interest in them, are not only relieving the ills 
of life in helping them to bear burdens, but are at the 
same time contributing largely to their own health of soul 
and body. Doing good is a work that benefits both giver 
and receiver. If you forget self in your interest for others, 
you gain a victory over your own infirmities. The pleasure 
of doing good animates the mind, and vibrates through 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


IOS 

the whole body. If thou clothe the naked, and “ bring 
the poor that are cast out to thy house,” and “ deal thy 
bread to the hungry,” “ then shall thy light break forth 
as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth 
speedily.” 

IMPORTANCE OF PURE AIR. 

Some invalids refuse to be convinced of the great im¬ 
portance of having a constant supply of pure air. For 
fear of taking cold, they willfully persist in living from 
year to year in an atmosphere almost destitute of vitality. 
It is impossible for such to have a healthy circulation. 
The skin is debilitated, and they become sensitive to any 
change in the atmosphere. The first suggestion of cold 
brings out additional clothing, and the heat of the room 
is increased. The next day they require a little more 
heat, and a little more clothing, in order to feel perfectly 
warm, and thus they humor every changing feeling until 
they have but little vitality left. If those who can, would 
engage in some active employment, instead of adding to 
their clothing or raising the temperature of an already 
overheated room, they would generally forget their chilly 
sensations, and would receive no harm. For feeble lungs„ 
an overheated atmosphere is very injurious. 

Winter is a season to be dreaded by those who are 
obliged to be with these invalids. It is not only winter 
out-of-doors, but dreary in-doors. Under the plea that 
the air affects their lungs and head, these victims of a 
diseased imagination shut themselves up in the house, 
and close the windows. They expect to take cold from 
the least exposure, and they do. “ Have we not proved 
it?” they will argue, and no amount of reasoning can 
make them believe that they do not understand the phil¬ 
osophy of the whole matter. It is true that they do take 
cold when exposed; but it is because their course has 
made them as tender as babies, and they cannot endure 
anything. Yet they live on with windows and doors 
closed, hovering over the stove, and enjoying their misery. 

* Isa. 58 :7, 8. 


104 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


Why will not such try the effect of judicious out-door 
exercise ? 

Many have been taught that night air is positively in¬ 
jurious to health, and therefore must be excluded from 
their rooms. One autumn evening I was traveling in a 
crowded car. The exhalations from so many lungs and 
bodies rendered the atmosphere very impure, and caused 
a sickening sensation to come over me. I raised my win¬ 
dow, and was enjoying the fresh air, when a lady in ear¬ 
nest, imploring tones, cried out, “Do put down that 
window ! You will take cold and be sick ; the night air is 
so unhealthful! ” I replied, “ Madam, we have no other air 
than night air, in this car or out of it. If you refuse to 
breathe the night air, you must stop breathing.” In the 
cool of the evening it may be necessary to guard against 
chilliness by extra clothing; but there should be a free 
circulation of pure air through the room during sleeping 
hours. The free air of heaven, by day or night, is one of 
the richest blessings we can enjoy. 

Fresh air will purify the blood, refresh the body, and 
help to make it strong and healthy. The invigoration pro¬ 
duced will be reflected upon the mind, imparting to it tone 
and clearness, as well as a degree of composure and seren¬ 
ity. It gives a healthful stimulus to the appetite, renders 
the digestion of food more perfect, and induces sound, 
sweet sleep. Living in close, ill-ventilated rooms, weakens 
the system, makes the mind gloomy, the skin sallow, and 
the circulation feeble ; the blood moves sluggishly, diges¬ 
tion is retarded, and the system is rendered peculiarly sen¬ 
sitive to cold. One should so accustom himself to fresh, 
cool air that he will not be affected by slight changes of 
temperature. Of course he should be careful not to sit 
in a draft or in a cold room when weary, or when in a 
perspiration. 

Many labor under the mistaken idea that if they have 
taken cold they must carefully exclude the outside air, 
and increase the temperature of the room until it is ex¬ 
cessively hot. But the system of one suffering with cold 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


105 


is deranged, the pores are closed by waste matter, and 
there is more or less inflammation of the internal organs, 
because the blood has been chilled back from the surface, 
and thrown upon them. At this time, of all others, the 
lungs should not be deprived of pure air. Judicious exer¬ 
cise would induce the blood to the surface, and thus re¬ 
lieve the internal organs. The power of the will is a 
great help in resisting cold, and giving energy to the nerv¬ 
ous system. To deprive the lungs of air, is like depriv¬ 
ing the stomach of food. Air is the food that God has 
provided for the lungs. Welcome it; cultivate a love for 
it, as a precious boon of heaven. 

HOME HYGIENE. 

One of the most prolific sources of disease is the trans¬ 
gression of the laws of life in regard to personal habits. 
Order and cleanliness are laws of heaven. The directions 
given to Moses when the Lord was about to declare his 
law upon Mount Sinai, were very strict in this respect. 
“ And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and 
sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash 
their clothes.”* They were directed to do this lest there 
should be impurity about them as they should come be¬ 
fore him. He is a God of order, and he requires order 
and cleanliness in his people. 

The children of Israel were in no case to allow any 
impurities to remain upon their clothing or upon them¬ 
selves. Those who had any personal uncleanness were to 
be shut out of the camp until the evening, and then were 
required to cleanse themselves and their clothing before 
they could return. They were also commanded to carry 
all their refuse to a great distance from the camp. And 
this was a sanitary measure, as well as a religious regula¬ 
tion. The Lord requires no less of his people now than 
he did anciently. A neglect of cleanliness will induce dis¬ 
ease. Sickness does not come without a cause. Violent 
epidemics of fevers have occurred in villages and cities 
that were considered perfectly healthful, and these have 

* Ex. 19 :10. 


* 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


IO6 

resulted in death or broken constitutions. In many in¬ 
stances the premises of the very ones who fell victims to 
these epidemics, contained the agents of destruction which 
sent forth deadly poison into the atmosphere, to be inhaled 
by the family and the neighborhood. It is astonishing 
to witness the prevailing ignorance relative to the effects 
which slackness and recklessness produce upon health. 

When Lord Palmerston, premier of England, was pe¬ 
titioned by the Scottish clergy to appoint a day of fasting 
and prayer to avert the. cholera, he replied, “ Cleanse and 
disinfect your streets and houses, promote cleanliness and 
health among the poor, and see that they are plentifully 
supplied with good food and raiment, and employ right 
sanitary measures generally, and you will have no occa¬ 
sion to fast and pray. Nor will the Lord hear your 
prayers while these, his preventives, remain unheeded.” 

It is not God who has brought upon us the many woes 
which mortals now inherit. Our own folly has led us to 
deprive ourselves of things that are precious, of the bless¬ 
ings which, if properly used, are of inestimable value in 
the maintenance of health. If you would have your home 
sweet and inviting, make it bright with air and sunshine. 
Remove your heavy curtains, open the windows, throw 
back the blinds, and enjoy the rich sunlight, even if it be 
at the expense of the colors of your carpets. 

Some houses are furnished expensively, more to gratify 
pride than for the comfort, convenience, or health of the 
family. The best rooms are kept closed and dark, lest 
the light might injure the rich furniture, fade the carpets, 
or tarnish the picture frames. When visitors are permitted 
to be seated in these precious rooms, they are in danger 
of taking cold because of the damp atmosphere pervading 
them. Parlor bedrooms are kept closed for the same 
reasons. Sleeping-rooms should be large, and so arranged 
as to have a free circulation of air day and night. Those 
who have slept in an ill-ventilated room awake feeling 
feverish and exhausted. This is because the vital air was 
excluded, and the whole system suffers in consequence. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 107 

Whoever occupies beds which have not been freely ex¬ 
posed to the air and sunlight, does so at the risk of health, 
and often even of life itself. There should be a circula¬ 
tion of air and an abundance of light through every apart¬ 
ment of the house for several hours each day. If you 
have God’s presence, and possess earnest, loving hearts, 
then a humble home, made bright with air and sunshine, 
and cheerful with the welcome of unselfish hospitality, will 
be to your family and the weary traveler a heaven below. 

Upon rising in the morning, most persons would be 
benefited by taking a sponge or hand bath. This will re¬ 
move all impurities from the skin, and keep it moist and 
supple, thereby aiding the circulation. Persons in health 
should on no account neglect frequent bathing. Whether 
a person is sick or well, respiration is rendered more free 
and full by bathing. The mind and body are alike in¬ 
vigorated. The muscles become more flexible, every 
faculty of the intellect is made brighter. The bath is a 
soother of the nerves. Instead of increasing the liability 
of taking cold, it fortifies against cold, because it im¬ 
proves the circulation ; the blood is brought to the sur¬ 
face, and a more easy and regular flow of the vital fluid 
is obtained. 

A yard beautified with scattering trees and some shrub¬ 
bery, at a proper distance from the house, has a happy 
influence upon the family, and, if well taken care of, will 
prove no injury to the health. But shade trees and shrub¬ 
bery close and dense around a house, make it unhealthful; 
for they prevent the free circulation of air, and shut out 
the rays of the sun. In consequence, a dampness gathers 
in the house, especially in wet seasons. Those who oc¬ 
cupy the sleeping-rooms are troubled with rheumatism, 
neuralgia, and lung complaints. Then the great quantities 
of fallen leaves, if not removed immediately, decay, and 
poison the atmosphere. Dwellings, if possible, should be 
built on high ground. If a house is built where the water 
will settle around it, remaining for a time and slowly dry¬ 
ing away, there is a poisonous miasma continually rising 


108 CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 

from the damp ground, which breeds sore throat, fevers, 
ague, or lung diseases. 

Many expect that God will keep them from sickness 
merely because they ask him to do so. But the prayers 
of those who do not regard the laws of life, God cannot 
answer, because their faith is not made perfect by works. 
When we do all on our part to insure health, then we may 
expect that good results will follow, and we can ask 
God in faith to bless our efforts. And he will answer 
our prayer, if his name can be glorified thereby. But let 
all understand that they have a work to do. God will 
not work in a miraculous manner to preserve the health of 
persons who are, by their careless inattention to the laws 
of health, taking a sure course to make themselves sick. 

The Lord has shown me that Sabbath-keepers as a 
rule labor too hard, without allowing themselves change 
or periods of rest. Recreation is needful to those who en¬ 
gage in physical labor, and is still more essential for those 
whose work is principally mental. It is not essential to 
our salvation nor for the glory of God to keep the mind 
laboring constantly and excessively, even upon religious 
themes. There are amusements, such as card-playing, danc¬ 
ing, theater-going, etc., which we cannot approve, because 
Heaven condemns them. They open the door to great 
evils. By their exciting tendency they produce in some 
minds a passion for gambling and dissipation. All such 
amusements should be condemned by Christians, and some¬ 
thing perfectly harmless should be substituted in their place. 
There are modes of recreation which are highly beneficial 
to both mind and body. An enlightened, discriminating 
mind will find abundant means for entertainment and di¬ 
version from sources not only innocent, but instructive. 
Recreation in the open air, and the contemplation of the 
works of God in nature, will be of the highest benefit. 


FALSE IMPRESSIONS CONCERNING 
EXPERIENCE. 


EXPERIENCE is said to be the best teacher. Genuine 
experience is indeed superior to mere theoretical knowl¬ 
edge, but many have an erroneous idea as to what con¬ 
stitutes experience. Real experience is gained by a variety 
of careful experiments, made with the mind free from 
prejudice, uncontrolled by previously established opinions 
and habits. The results are marked with careful solici¬ 
tude, and an anxious desire to learn, to improve, and to 
reform on every point that is not in harmony with physi¬ 
cal and moral laws. 

That which many term experience is not experience 
at all; it has resulted from mere habit, or from a course 
of indulgence, thoughtlessly and often ignorantly followed. 
There has not been a fair trial by actual experiment and 
thorough investigation, with a knowledge of the princi¬ 
ples involved in the action. Experience which is opposed 
to natural law,— which is in conflict with the unchange¬ 
able principles of nature, — is not to be relied upon. 
Superstition arising from a diseased imagination is often 
arrayed in opposition to reason and to scientific principles. 
To many a person, the idea that others may gainsay 
what he has learned by experience, seems folly, and even 
cruelty itself. But there are more errors received and 
held through false ideas of experience than from any 
other cause. There are many invalids to-day who will 
ever remain such because they cannot be convinced that 
their experience is not to be relied upon. 

Erroneous habits and customs gird men and women 
as with iron bands, and they too often justify themselves 
in these customs by what they term experience. Many 
of the grossest habits are cherished under this plea. 

(109) 



I IO 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


Many fail to reach that physical, mental, and moral de¬ 
velopment to which they might attain, because they cling 
to an experience that is opposed to the plainest revealed 
facts. Men and women whose wrong habits have de¬ 
stroyed their health, and broken down their constitution, 
will be found recommending their experience as safe for 
others to follow, when it is this very experience that has 
robbed them of health and vitality. When you seek to 
instruct them, they defend their course by referring to 
their experience. 

Here is where we have met the greatest difficulties in 
religious matters. The plainest facts may be presented, 
the clearest truths, sustained by the word of God, may 
be brought before the mind; but the ear and the heart 
are closed, and the all-convincing argument is, “my ex¬ 
perience.” Some will say, “The Lord has blessed me in 
believing and doing as I have; therefore I cannot be in 
error.” “My experience” is clung to, and the most ele¬ 
vating, sanctifying truths of the Bible are rejected. 

Balaam inquired of God if he might curse Israel. He 
was anxious that the permission might be given, because 
he had the promise of great reward. But God said, 
“Thou shalt not go.” Balaam was urged the second 
time, by messengers more honorable than the first, and 
greater inducements were offered. He had been shown 
the will of the Lord in this matter, but he was so eager 
for the reward that he ventured to ask God a second 
time, and the Lord permitted him to go. Then he had 
a wonderful experience; but who would wish to have 
such an experience ? 

Many examples might be given to show how people 
have been deceived by relying upon what they supposed 
to be their experience. 


CONSULTING SPIRITUALIST 
PHYSICIANS. 


FROM time to time I have received letters from both 
ministers and lay-members of the church, inquiring if I 
think it wrong to consult spiritualist and clairvoyant phy¬ 
sicians. So numerous are these agents of Satan becoming, 
and so general is the practice of seeking council from 
them, that it seems needful to utter words of warning. 

God has placed it in our power to obtain a knowledge 
of the laws of health. He has made it a duty to preserve 
our physical powers in the best possible condition, that 
we may render to him acceptable service. Those who 
refuse to improve the light and knowledge that have 
been mercifully placed within their reach, are rejecting 
one of the means which God has granted them to pro¬ 
mote spiritual as well as physical life. They are placing 

themselves where they will be exposed to the delusions of 

Satan. 

Not a few in this Christian age and Christian nation 
resort to evil spirits, rather than trust to the power ot 
the living God. The mother, watching by the sick-bed 
of her child, exclaims, “ I can do no more. Is there no 
physician who has power to restore my child?” She is 
told of the wonderful cures performed by some clairvoy¬ 
ant or magnetic healer, and she trusts her dear one to 

his charge, placing it as verily in the hands of Satan as 

if he were standing by her side. In many instances the 
future life of the child is controlled by a satanic power 
which it seems impossible to break. 

I have heard a mother pleading with an infidel physi¬ 
cian to save the life of her child ; but when I entreated 
her to seek help from the Great Physician, who is able to 

(in) 



I 12 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


save to the uttermost all who come to him in faith, she 
turned away with impatience. 

When Ahaziah, king of Israel, was sick, “ he sent mes¬ 
sengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, 
the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this dis¬ 
ease.” On the way they met Elijah, and instead of a 
message from the idol, the king heard the awful denun¬ 
ciation from the God of Israel, “Thou shalt not come 
down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt 
surely die.”* It was Christ that bade Elijah speak these 
words to the apostate king. Jehovah Immanuel had cause 
to be greatly displeased at Ahaziah’s impiety. What had 
Christ not done to win the hearts of Israel, and to inspire 
them with unwavering confidence in himself? For ages 
he had visited his people with manifestations of the most 
condescending kindness and unexampled love. From the 
time of the patriarchs, he had shown how his “ delights 
were with the sons of men.”f He had been a very pres¬ 
ent help to all who sought him in sincerity. “ In all their 
affliction he was afflicted, and the Angel of his presence 
saved them : in his love and in his pity he redeemed 
them.”;]; Yet Israel had revolted from God, and turned 
for help to the Lord’s worst enemy. 

The Hebrews were the only nation favored with a 
knowledge of the true God. When the king of Israel 
sent to inquire of a pagan oracle, he proclaimed to the 
heathen that he had more confidence in their idols than 
in the God of his people, the Creator of the heavens and 
the earth. In the same manner do those who profess to 
have a knowledge of God’s word dishonor him when they 
turn from the source of strength and wisdom, to ask help 
or counsel from the powers of darkness. If God’s wrath 
was kindled by such a course on the part of a wicked, 
idolatrous king, how must he regard a similar course pur¬ 
sued by those who profess to be his servants ? 

Many are unwilling to put forth the needed effort to 
obtain a knowledge of the laws of life and the simple 

*2 Kings 1:4. tProv. 8:31. $ Isa. 63:9. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


”3 

means to be employed for the restoration of health. They 
do not place themselves in right relation to life. When 
sickness is the result of their transgression of natural 
law, they do not seek to correct their errors, and then 
ask the blessing of God, but they resort to the physicians. 
If they recover health, they give to drugs and doctors all 
the honor. They are ever ready to idolize human power 
and wisdom, seeming to know no other god than the 
creature,— dust and ashes. 

It is not safe to trust to physicians who have not the 
fear of God before them. Without the influence of divine 
grace, the hearts of men are “ deceitful above all things, 
and desperately wicked.”* Self-aggrandizement is their 
aim. Under cover of the medical profession, what iniq¬ 
uities have been practiced, what delusions supported! 
The physician may claim to possess great wisdom and 
marvelous skill, while at the same time his character is 
abandoned, and his practice contrary to the laws of health. 
The Lord our God assures us that he is waiting to be 
gracious ; he invites us to call upon him in the day of 
trouble. Furthermore, the teaching of these physicians 
is continually leading away from the principles God has 
given us in regard to health, especially on the diet ques¬ 
tion. They say we are not living as we ought, and pre¬ 
scribe changes that are contrary to the light God has 
sent. Brethren, how can the Lord let his blessing rest 
upon us when we are going right upon the enemy’s- 
ground ? 

Why is it that men are so unwilling to trust Him 
who created man, and who can, by a touch, a word, a. 
look, heal all manner of disease ? Who is more worthy 
of our confidence than the One who has made so great 
a sacrifice for our redemption ? Our Lord has given us 
definite instruction, through the apostle James, as to our 
duty in case of sickness. When human help fails, God 
will be the helper of his people. “Is any sick among 
you ? let him call for the elders of the church, and let 

* Jer. 17: 9. 

8 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


114 

them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name 
of the Lord ; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, 
and the Lord shall raise him up.”* If the professed fol¬ 
lowers of Christ would, with purity of heart, exercise as 
much faith in the promises of God as they repose in Sa¬ 
tanic agencies, they would realize, in soul and body, the 
life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. 

God has granted to this people great light, yet we are 
not placed beyond the reach of temptation. Who among 
us are seeking help from the gods of Ekron ? Look on 
this picture — a picture not drawn from imagination. In 
how many, even among Seventh-day Adventists, may its 
leading characteristics be seen! An invalid, apparently 
very conscientious, yet bigoted and self-sufficient, freely 
avows his contempt for the laws of life and health, which 
divine mercy has led us as a people to accept. His food 
must be prepared in a manner to satisfy his morbid crav¬ 
ings. Rather than sit at a table where wholesome food 
is provided, he will patronize restaurants, because he can 
there indulge appetite without restraint. A fluent advo¬ 
cate of temperance, he disregards its foundation principles. 
He wants relief, but refuses to obtain it at the price of 
self-denial. That man is worshiping at the shrine of per¬ 
verted appetite. He is an idolater. The powers, which, 
sanctified and ennobled, might be employed to honor 
God, are weakened, and rendered of little service. An 
irritable temper, a confused brain, and unstrung nerves 
are among the results of his disregard of nature’s laws. 
He is inefficient and unreliable. Whoever has the cour¬ 
age and honesty to warn him of danger, thereby incurs 
his displeasure. The slightest remonstrance or opposition 
is sufficient to rouse his combative spirit. But now an 
opportunity is presented to seek help from one whose 
power comes through the medium of witchcraft. To this 
source he applies with eagerness, freely expending time 
and money in the hope of securing the proffered boon. 
He is deceived, infatuated. The sorcerer’s power is made 

* James 5 :14, 15. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


115 

the theme of praise, and others are influenced to seek 
his aid. Thus the God of Israel is dishonored, while 
Satan’s power is revered and exalted. 

In the name of Christ I would address his professed 
followers: Abide in the faith which you have received 
from the beginning. “Shun profane and vain babblings.”* 
Instead of putting your trust in witchcraft, have faith in 
the living God. Cursed is the path that leads to Endor 
or to Ekron. The feet will stumble and fall that venture 
upon this forbidden ground. There is a God in Israel, 
with whom is deliverance for all who are oppressed. 
Righteousness is the foundation of his throne. 

There is danger in departing in the least from the 
Lord’s instruction. When we deviate from the plain path 
of duty, a train of circumstances will arise that seems 
irresistibly to draw us farther and farther from the right. 
Needless intimacies with those who have no respect for 
God will seduce us ere we are aware. The fear of offend¬ 
ing worldly friends will deter us from expressing our 
gratitude to God, or acknowledging our dependence upon 
him. 

We must keep close to the word of God. We need 
its warnings and encouragement, its threatenings and 
promises. We need the perfect example given only in 
the life and character of our Saviour. Angels of God 
will preserve his people while they walk in the path of 
duty; but there is no assurance of such protection for 
those who deliberately venture upon Satan’s ground. An 
agent of the great deceiver will say and do anything to 
gain his object. It matters little whether he calls him¬ 
self a spiritualist, an “electric physician,” or a “magnetic 
healer.” By specious pretenses he wins the confidence of 
the unwary. He pretends to read the life history, and to 
understand all the difficulties and afflictions of those who 
resort to him. Disguising himself as an angel of light, 
while the blackness of the pit is in his heart, he mani¬ 
fests great interest in women who seek his counsel. He 


* 2 Tim. 2 : 16. 


116 CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 

tells them that all their troubles are due to an unhappy 
marriage. This may be too true, but such counsel does 
not better their condition. He tells them that they need 
love and sympathy. Pretending great interest in their 
welfare, he casts a spell over his unsuspecting victims, 
charming them as the serpent charms the trembling bird. 
Soon they are completely in his power, and sin, disgrace, 
and ruin are the terrible sequel. 

Our only safety is in preserving the ancient land¬ 
marks. “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak 
not according to this word, it is because there is no light 
in them.”* 

* Isa. 8 : 20. 


OUR PRESENT WORK. 


We should educate ourselves, not only to live in har¬ 
mony with the laws of health, but to teach others the 
better way. Many, even of those who profess to believe 
the special truths for this time, are lamentably ignorant 
with regard to health and temperance. They need to be 
educated, line upon line, precept upon precept. The sub¬ 
ject must be kept fresh before them. This matter must 
not be passed over as non-essential; for nearly every 
family needs to be stirred up on the question. The con¬ 
science must be aroused to the duty of practicing the 
principles of true reform. God requires that his people 
shall be temperate in all things. Unless they practice 
true temperance, they will not, they cannot, be suscepti¬ 
ble to the sanctifying influence of the truth. 

Our ministers should become intelligent upon this 
question. They should not ignore it, nor be turned aside 
by those who call them extremists. Let them find out 
what constitutes true health reform, and teach its princi¬ 
ples, both by precept and by a quiet, consistent example. 
At our large gatherings, instruction should be given upon 
health and temperance. Seek to arouse the intellect and 
the conscience. Bring into service all the talent at com¬ 
mand, and follow up the work with publications upon the 
subject. “ Educate, educate, educate,” is the message that 
has been impressed upon me. 

In all our missions, women of intelligence should have 
charge of the domestic arrangements,— women who know 
how to prepare food nicely and healthfully. The table 
should be abundantly supplied with food of the best 
quality. If any have a perverted taste that craves tea, 
coffee, condiments, and unhealthful dishes, enlighten them. 
Seek to arouse the conscience. Set before them the prin¬ 
ciples of the Bible upon hygiene. Where plenty of good 

(117) 



CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


milk and fruit can be obtained, there is rarely any ex¬ 
cuse for eating animal food; it is not necessary to take 
the life of any of God’s creatures to supply our ordinary 
needs. In certain cases of illness or exhaustion it may 
be thought best to use some meat, but great care should 
be taken to secure the flesh of healthy animals. It has 
come to be a very serious question whether it is safe to 
use flesh-food at all in this age of the world. It would 
be better never to eat meat than to use the flesh of ani¬ 
mals that are not healthy. When I could not obtain the 
food I needed, I have sometimes eaten a little meat; but 
I am becoming more and more afraid of it. 

When God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, 
it was his purpose to establish them in the land of Ca¬ 
naan a pure, happy, healthy people. Let us look at the 
means by which he would accomplish this. He subjected 
them to a course of discipline, which, had it been cheer¬ 
fully followed, would have resulted in good, both to them¬ 
selves and to their posterity. He removed flesh-food from 
them in a great measure. He had granted them flesh in 
answer to their clamors, just before reaching Sinai, but it 
was furnished for only one day. God might have pro¬ 
vided flesh as easily as manna, but a restriction was 
placed upon the people for their good. It was his pur¬ 
pose to supply them with food better suited to their 
wants than the feverish diet to which many of them 
had been accustomed in Egypt. The perverted appetite 
was to be brought into a more healthy state, that they 
might enjoy the food originally provided for man,— the 
fruits of the earth, which God gave to Adam and Eve 
in Eden. 

Had they been willing to deny appetite in obedience 
to his restrictions, feebleness and disease would have 
been unknown among them. Their descendants would 
have possessed physical and mental strength. They 
would have had clear perceptions of truth and duty, 
keen discrimination, and sound judgment. But they were 
unwilling to submit to God’s requirements, and they failed 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


119 

to reach the standard he had set for them, and to receive 
the blessings that might have been theirs. They mur¬ 
mured at God’s restrictions, and lusted after the flesh- 
pots of Egypt. God let them have flesh, but it proved 
a curse to them. 

Again and again I have been shown that God is try¬ 
ing to lead us back, step by step, to his original design, 
— that man should subsist upon the natural products of 
the earth. Among those who are waiting for the coming 
of the Lord, meat-eating will eventually be done away; 
flesh will cease to form a part of their diet. We should 
ever keep this end in view, and endeavor to work stead¬ 
ily toward it. I cannot think that in the practice of flesh¬ 
eating we are in harmony with the light which God has 
been pleased to give us. All who are connected with 
our health institutions especially should be educating 
themselves to subsist on fruits, grains, and vegetables. 
If we move from principle in these things, if we as 
Christian reformers educate our own taste, and bring our 
diet to God’s plan, then we may exert an influence upon 
others in this matter, which will be pleasing to God. 

One reason why many have become discouraged in 
practicing health reform is that they have not learned how 
to cook so that proper food, simply prepared, would supply 
the place of the diet to which they have been accus¬ 
tomed. They become disgusted with the poorly prepared 
dishes, and next we hear them say that they have tried 
the health reform, and cannot live in that way. Many at¬ 
tempt to follow out meager instructions in health reform, 
and make such sad work that it results in injury to di¬ 
gestion, and in discouragement to all concerned in the 
attempt. You profess to be health reformers, and for this 
very reason you should become good cooks. Those who 
can avail themselves of the advantages of properly con¬ 
ducted hygienic cooking-schools, will find it a great benefit, 
both in their own practice and in teaching others. 

Do not catch hold of isolated ideas and make them a 
test, criticising others whose practice may not agree with 


120 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


your opinion ; but study the subject broadly and deeply, 
and seek to bring your own ideas and practices into per¬ 
fect harmony with the principles of true Christian tem¬ 
perance. 

There are many who try to correct the lives of others 
by attacking what they regard as wrong habits. They 
go to those whom they think in error, and point out 
their defects, but do not seek to direct the mind to true 
principles. Such a course often comes far short of secur¬ 
ing the desired results. When we make it evident that 
we are trying to correct others, we too often arouse their 
combativeness, and do more harm than good. And there 
is danger to the reprover also. He who takes it upon 
himself to correct others, is likely to cultivate a habit of 
fault-finding, and soon his whole interest will be in pick¬ 
ing flaws and finding defects. Do not watch others, to 
pick at their faults or expose their errors. Educate them 
to better habits by the power of your own example. 

Let it ever be kept before the mind that the great ob¬ 
ject of hygienic reform is to secure the highest possible 
development of mind and soul and body. All the laws of 
nature — which are the laws of God — are designed for our 
good. Obedience to them will promote our happiness in 
this life, and will aid us in a preparation for the life to 
come. 

There is something better to talk about than the 
faults and weaknesses of others. Talk of God and his 
wonderful works. Study into the manifestations of his 
love and wisdom in all the works of nature. Study that 
marvelous organism, the human system, and the laws by 
which it is governed. Those who perceive the evidences 
of God’s love, who understand something of the wisdom 
and beneficence of his laws, and the blessings that result 
from obedience, will come to regard their duties and ob¬ 
ligations from an altogether different point of view. In¬ 
stead of looking upon an observance of the laws of health 
as a matter of sacrifice or self-denial, they will regard it, 
as it really is, as an inestimable blessing. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


121 


A great amount of good can be done by enlightening 
all to whom we have access, as to the best means, not 
only of curing the sick, but of preventing disease and 
suffering. The physician who endeavors to enlighten his 
patients as to the nature and causes of their maladies, 
and to teach them how to avoid disease, may have up¬ 
hill work ; but if he is a conscientious reformer, he will 
talk plainly of the ruinous effects of self-indulgence in 
eating, drinking, and dressing, of the overtaxation of the 
vital forces that has brought his patients where they are. 
He will not increase the evil by administering drugs till 
exhausted nature gives up the struggle, but will teach the 
patients how to form correct habits, and to aid nature in 
her work of restoration by a wise use of her own simple 
remedies. 

In all our health institutions, it should be made a spe¬ 
cial feature of the work to give instruction in regard to 
the laws of health. The principles of health reform 
should be carefully and thoroughly set before all, both 
patients and helpers. This work requires moral courage; 
for while many will profit by such efforts, others will be 
offended. But the true disciple of Christ, he whose mind is 
in harmony with the mind of God, while constantly learn¬ 
ing, will be teaching as well, leading the minds of others 
upward, away from the prevailing errors of the world. 

Much of the prejudice that prevents, the truth of the 
third angel’s message from reaching the hearts of the peo¬ 
ple, might be removed if more attention were given to 
health reform. When people become interested in this 
subject, the way is often prepared for the entrance of 
other truths. If they see that we are intelligent with 
regard to health, they will be more ready to believe that 
we are sound in Bible doctrines. 

This branch of the Lord’s work has not received due 
attention, and through this neglect much has been lost. 
If the church would manifest a greater interest in the 
reforms through which God himself is seeking to fit them 
for his coming, their influence would be far greater than 


122 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


it now is. God has spoken to his people, and he designs 
that they shall hear and obey his voice. Although the 
health reform is not the third angel’s message, it is closely 
connected with it. Those who proclaim the message 
should teach health reform also. It is a subject that we 
must understand, in order to be prepared for the events 
that are close upon us, and it should have a prominent 
place. Satan and his agents are seeking to hinder this 
work of reform, and will do all they can to perplex and 
burden those who heartily engage in it. Yet none should 
be discouraged at this, or cease their efforts because of 
it. The prophet Isaiah speaks thus of one characteristic 
of Christ: “ He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he 
have set judgment in the earth.”* Then let not his fol¬ 
lowers talk of failure or discouragement, but remember 
the price paid to rescue man that he might not perish, 
but have eternal life. 


* Isa. 42: 4. 


MENTAL INEBRIATES. 


What shall our children read ? is a serious question, 
and demands a serious answer. I am troubled to see, in 
Christian families, periodicals and newspapers containing 
continued stories that leave no impress of good upon the 
mind. I have watched those whose taste for fiction has 
been thus cultivated. They have had the privilege of 
listening to the truths of God’s word, of becoming ac¬ 
quainted with the reasons of our faith ; but they have 
grown to mature years destitute of true piety. These 
dear youth need so much to put into their character¬ 
building the very best material,— the love and fear of 
God and a knowledge of Christ. But many have not an 
intelligent understanding of the truth as it is in Jesus. 
The mind is feasted upon sensational stories. They live 
in an unreal world, and are unfitted for the practical 
duties of life. I have observed children allowed to come 
up in this way. Whether at home or abroad, they are 
either restless or dreamy, and are unable to converse, 
save upon the most common-place subjects. The nobler 
faculties, those adapted to higher pursuits, have been de¬ 
graded to the contemplation of trivial, or worse than triv¬ 
ial subjects, until their possessor has become satisfied with 
such topics, and scarcely has power to reach anything 
higher. Religious thought and conversation has become 
distasteful. The mental food for which he has acquired 
a relish, is contaminating in its effects, and leads to im¬ 
pure and sensual thoughts. I have felt sincere pity for 
these souls as I have considered how much they are los¬ 
ing by neglecting opportunities to gain a knowledge of 
Christ, in whom our hopes of eternal life are centered. 
How much precious time is wasted, in which they might 
be studying the pattern of true goodness. 


(123) 



124 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


I am personally acquainted with some who have lost 
the healthy tone of the mind through wrong habits of 
reading. They go through life with a diseased imagina¬ 
tion, magnifying every little grievance. Things which a 
sound, sensible mind would not notice, become to them 
unendurable trials, insurmountable obstacles. To them, 
life is in constant shadow. 

Those who have indulged the habit of racing through 
exciting stories, are crippling their mental strength, and 
disqualifying themselves for vigorous thought and research. 
There are men and women now in the decline of life who 
have never recovered from the effects of intemperate read¬ 
ing. The habit, formed in early years, has grown with 
their growth and strengthened with their strength ; and 
their efforts to overcome it, though determined, have been 
only partially successful. Many have never recovered 
their original vigor of mind. All attempts to become 
practical Christians end with the desire. They cannot be 
truly Christ-like, and continue to feed the mind upon 
this class of literature. Nor is the physical effect less 
disastrous. The nervous system is unnecessarily taxed 
by this passion for reading. In some cases, youth, and 
even those of mature age, have been afflicted with par¬ 
alysis from no other cause than excess in reading. The 
mind was kept under constant excitement, until the deli¬ 
cate machinery of the brain became so weakened that it 
could not act, and paralysis was the result. 

When an appetite for exciting, sensational stories is 
cultivated, the moral taste becomes perverted, and the 
mind is unsatisfied unless constantly fed upon this trashy, 
unwholesome food. I have seen young ladies, professed 
followers of Christ, who were really unhappy unless they 
had on hand some new novel or story-paper. The mind 
craved stimulation, as the drunkard craves intoxicating 
drink. These youth manifested no spirit of devotion; no 
heavenly light was shed upon their associates, to lead 
them to the fount of knowledge. They had no deep re¬ 
ligious experience. If this class of reading had not been 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


25 


constantly before them, there might have been some hope 
of their reforming; but they craved it, and would have it. 

I am pained to see young men and women thus ruin¬ 
ing their usefulness in this life, and failing to obtain an 
experience that will prepare them for an eternal life in 
heavenly society. We can find no more fit name for them 
than “mental inebriates.” Intemperate habits of reading 
exert a pernicious influence upon the brain as surely as 
does intemperance in eating or drinking. 

The best way to prevent the growth of evil is to pre¬ 
occupy the soil. The greatest care and watchfulness is 
needed in cultivating the mind and sowing therein the 
precious seeds of Bible truth. The Lord, in his great 
mercy, has revealed to us in the Scriptures the rules of 
holy living. He tells us the sins to shun ; he explains to 
us the plan of salvation, and points out the way to heaven. 
He has inspired holy men to record, for our benefit, instruc¬ 
tion concerning the dangers that beset our path, and how 
to escape them. Those who obey his injunction to search 
the Scriptures will not be ignorant of these things. Amid 
the perils of the last days, every member of the church 
should understand the reasons of his hope and faith,— 
reasons which are not difficult of comprehension. There 
is enough to occupy the mind, if we would grow in grace 
and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We are finite, but we are to have a sense of the in¬ 
finite. The mind must be brought into exercise in con¬ 
templating God and his wonderful plan for our salvation. 
The soul will thus be lifted above the mere earthly and 
common-place, and fixed upon that which is ennobling 
and eternal. The thought that we are in God’s world, in 
the presence of the great Creator of the universe, who 
made man after his own likeness, will lead the mind into 
broad, exalted fields for meditation. The thought that 
God’s eye is watching over us, that he loves us, and 
cared so much for us as to give his dearly beloved Son 
to redeem us, that we might not miserably perish, is a 
great one ; and he who opens his heart to the accept- 


126 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


ance and contemplation of themes like these, will never 
be satisfied with trivial, sensational subjects. 

If the Bible were studied as it should be, men would 
become strong in intellect. The subjects treated upon in 
the word of God, the dignified simplicity of its utterance, 
the noble themes which it presents to the mind, develop 
faculties in man which cannot otherwise be developed. 
In the Bible, a boundless field is opened for the imagina¬ 
tion. The student will come from a contemplation of its 
grand themes, from association with its lofty imagery, 
more pure and elevated in thought and feeling than if 
he had spent the time in reading any work of mere hu¬ 
man origin, to say nothing of those of a trifling character. 
Youthful minds fail to reach their noblest development 
when they neglect the highest source of wisdom,— the 
word of God. The reason why we have so few men of 
good mind, of stability and solid worth, is, that God is 
not feared, God is not loved, the principles of religion 
are not carried out in the life as they should be. 

God would have us avail ourselves of every means of 
cultivating and strengthening our intellectual powers. We 
were created for a higher, nobler existence than the life 
that now is. This time is one of preparation for the 
future, immortal life. Where can be found grander themes 
for contemplation, a more interesting subject for thought, 
than the sublime truths unfolded in the Bible ? These 
truths will do a mighty work for man, if he will but fol¬ 
low what they teach. But how little the Bible is studied! 
Every unimportant thing is dwelt upon in preference to 
its themes. If the Bible were read more, if its truths 
were better understood, we should be a far more enlight¬ 
ened and intelligent people. Energy is imparted to the 
soul by searching its pages. Angels from the world of 
light stand by the side of the earnest seeker after truth, 
to impress and illuminate his mind. He who is dark of 
understanding may find light through an acquaintance with 
the Scriptures. 


SOCIAL PURITY. 


“ BLESSED are the pure in heart ; for they shall see 
God.” * Man has fallen, and the work of his life-time, be 
it longer or shorter, must be to recover through Christ 
what he has lost by sin,— the likeness to the divine. This 
work requires a thorough transformation of soul, body, and 
spirit. God mercifully sends rays of light to show man 
his true condition ; but if he will not walk in the light, it 
is manifest that he takes pleasure in darkness. He avoids 
the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 

A picture of the terrible condition of the world has been 
presented before me. Immorality abounds on every hand. 
Licentiousness is the prevailing sin of this age. Never did 
vice lift its deformed head with such boldness as now, and 
by its strength and prevalence the lovers of virtue are al¬ 
most discouraged. Unless man has more than human 
strength to resist the current of evil, he will be overcome, 
and borne down to perdition. 

But the mind does not come down in a moment from 
purity and holiness to depravity, corruption, and crime. 
To degrade to the brutal and satanic those who are formed 
in the image of God, takes time. By beholding we be¬ 
come changed. Though formed in the image of his Maker, 
man can so accustom himself to evil that the sin which 
he once loathed will become pleasant to him. As he 
ceases to watch and pray, he ceases to guard the citadel 
— the heart — and is betrayed into sin and crime. Constant 
war against the carnal mind must be maintained; and we 
must be aided by the refining influence of the grace of 
God, which will attract the mind upward, and habituate it 
to meditate upon pure and holy things. 

A large class of the human beings we everywhere meet 
are a curse to the world. They live only for self-indulg¬ 
ence, and are given up, soul and body, to corrupt and dis- 

(127) 


* Matt. 5 :8. 



128 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


solute habits. What a terrible rebuke are such lives to 
the mothers who have worshiped at fashion’s shrine, and 
have neglected to cultivate their own mind and to form 
their own character after the divine Pattern ; and who have 
thus been unprepared to fulfill the sacred trust committed 
to them, — to bring up their children in the nurture and 
admonition of the Lord. 

It is almost impossible to arouse those who need to 
be awakened, to any just sense of the power which Satan 
has over the mind. Neither are they aware of the corrup¬ 
tion teeming all around them. Satan has blinded them, 
and lulled them to carnal security. Iniquity abounds, and 
it is not confined merely to the unbeliever and the scoffer : 
many who profess the religion of Christ are also guilty.. 
Their love is waxing cold. Alas! how few there are, 
even among professed Christians, who do the right for its 
own sake, — who will shun evil when public opinion does 
not restrain them ! 

In the battle with inward corruption and outward temp¬ 
tation, even the wise and powerful Solomon was vanquished. 
His life began under favorable auspices. He was beloved 
of God ; and, had virtue been preserved, his life might 
have closed in prosperity and honor. But he surrendered 
this special grace to lustful passion. In his youth he trusted 
in God, and looked to him for guidance ; and the Lord 
gave him power and wisdom that astonished the world. 
His fame reached to all lands. But when he began to 
descend the declivity of life, he yielded principle, thus 
placing himself in the current of evil, and separating him¬ 
self from God, the foundation and source of his strength; 
he lost his firmness of character, and wavered, like a giddy 
youth, between right and wrong. His love of women was 
his sin. This passion he did not control in his manhood, 
and it proved a snare to him. He took many wives, some 
of whom were daughters of heathen kings ; and they 
led him into idolatry. In his youth, wisdom had been 
more precious to him than the golden wedge of Ophir. 
But, alas! lustful passions gained the victory. He was 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


I29 


deceived and ruined by women. What a lesson is here 
taught! What a demonstration of the need of strength 
from God to the very last! It is not safe to permit the 
least departure from strict integrity. 

“ Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body, that 
ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye 
your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin ; 
but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from 
the dead, and your members as instruments of righteous¬ 
ness unto God.”* Professed Christians, if there were no 
further light given you than that contained in this text, 
you would be without excuse in suffering yourselves to be 
controlled by base passion. The word of God is sufficient 
to enlighten the most beclouded mind, and it can be un¬ 
derstood by those who have any wish to understand it. 
But in order to give men and women every possible warn¬ 
ing, God has sent plain, direct testimonies, pointing them 
to the word they have neglected to follow. Yet the light 
is often rejected. Those who serve their own lusts, con¬ 
tinue to take pleasure in unrighteousness, notwithstanding 
the vengeance threatened against those who do such things. 

Some will acknowledge the evil of sinful indulgence, 
yet will excuse themselves by saying that they cannot 
overcome their passions. This is a terrible admission for 
a Christian to make. “ Let every one that nameth the 
name of Christ depart from iniquity.” + Why is this weak¬ 
ness ? — It is because men and women have so long pam¬ 
pered their depraved appetites that they have no power 
of self-government; — because the lower passions of their 
nature have taken the reins, and high moral principle, which 
should be the governing power, is gone. Sensuality has. 
quenched the desire for holiness, and has withered spirit¬ 
uality. The soul is held in lowest bondage. 

The sacred covenant of marriage is often made to cover 
sins of the darkest hue. Men and women professing god¬ 
liness give way to corrupt passions, and thus place them¬ 
selves on a level with the brute creation. The powers 
which God has given them to be preserved in sanctifka- 

1 2 Tim. 2 :19. 

9 


* Rom. 6 : 12, 13. 


130 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


tion and honor, they abuse, yet think they commit no evil. 
Health and life are sacrificed upon the altar of lust. The 
higher, nobler powers are brought into subjection to the 
sensual nature. Those who thus sin may not foresee the 
result of their course. Could they realize the amount of 
suffering which they are bringing upon themselves and 
their children, they would be alarmed, and some, at least, 
would shun a course which brings such ‘dreadful results. 
So miserable an existence is entailed upon a large class 
that death would be to them preferable to life ; and many 
do die prematurely, their lives ingloriously sacrificed to the 
basest passions. 

By such misuse of the marriage relation, the animal pas¬ 
sions are strengthened ; and as these grow stronger the 
moral and intellectual faculties become weaker. The spirit¬ 
ual is overborne by the sensual. The character thus ac¬ 
quired by the parents is transmitted to the children, and 
they come into the world with their moral powers weakened 
and the lower passions predominant. The gross passions 
of the parents are perpetuated in their children. Satan 
seeks to lower the standard of purity, and to weaken the 
self-control of those who enter the marriage relation, be¬ 
cause he knows that while the baser passions are in the 
ascendency, the moral powers grow steadily weaker, and 
he need have no corhcern as to their spiritual growth. He 
knows, too, that in no way can he better stamp his own 
hateful image upon their offspring, and that he can thus 
mould their character even more readily than he can the 
character of the parents. 

As I have been shown the dangers of those who pro¬ 
fess better things, and the sins that exist among them,— 
a class who are not suspected of being in any danger from 
these polluting sins,— I have been led to inquire, “Who, 
O Lord, shall stand when thou appearest ? ” Only those 
who have clean hands and a pure heart shall abide in the 
day of his coming. O that I could make all understand 
their obligation to preserve the body in the best condition 
to render perfect service to their Maker! 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


131 

I feel impelled by the Spirit of the Lord to urge my 
sisters who profess godliness to cherish modesty of deport¬ 
ment and a becoming reserve, “ with shamefacedness and 
sobriety.” * The liberties allowed in these corrupt times 
should be no criterion for Christ’s followers. The exhibi¬ 
tions of familiarity which the world tolerates, should not 
exist among Christians fitting for immortality. If lasciv¬ 
iousness, vice, and crime are the order of the day among 
those who refuse to be controlled by the principles of 
God’s word, how important that those professing to be 
followers of Christ, closely allied to God and angels, should 
show them a better and nobler way ! How important that 
by their chaste conduct they should stand in marked con¬ 
trast to the class who are controlled by base passion ! 

My sisters, avoid even the appearance of evil. In this 
fast age you are not safe unless you stand on your guard. 
Virtue and modesty are rare. I appeal to you as fol¬ 
lowers of Christ, in view of your high profession, to cherish 
the priceless gem of modesty. As you hope to be finally 
exalted to join the society of sinless angels, and to live 
in an atmosphere where there is not the least taint of sin, 
seek purity ; for nothing else will abide the searching test 
of the day of God, and be received into a pure and holy 
heaven. J 

The slightest insinuation of evil, the least approach 
to unwarrantable familiarity, from whatever source it may 
come, should be resented as the worst of insults to your 
dignified womanhood. If it is from one in high position, 
who is ministering to the flock of God, the sin is of the 
greater magnitude, and should lead a God-fearing woman 
to recoil with horror from the hypocrisy and villainy of 
one whom the people respect and honor as God’s servant. 
He is handling sacred things, yet hiding his baseness of 
heart under the cloak of his high calling. Be afraid of 
anything like this familiarity. Be sure that it is evi¬ 
dence of an impure mind. If you give the least encour¬ 
agement in this direction, you make it evident that your 
mind is not pure and chaste as it should be, and that 


* i Tim. 2:9. 


132 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


sin has charms for you. You lower the standard of your 
womanhood. 

Our sisters should cultivate true meekness. They may 
be courteous ; but they should not be forward, talkative, 
and bold. To be kind, tender, pitiful, forgiving, and 
humble is well pleasing to God. If they occupy this po¬ 
sition, they will not be burdened with undue attention 
from the other sex. There will be a sacred circle of 
purity around them, which will shield them from unwar¬ 
rantable liberties. 

Vainglory, the fashion of the world, the desire of the 
eye, and the lust of the flesh, are closely connected with 
the fall of the unfortunate. If these things had been 
rooted out of the heart, these fallen ones would not be 
so weak. If women could view these matters as God 
has presented them to me, they would have such an 
abhorrence of impurity that they would not be found 
among those who fall through the temptations of Satan, 
no matter whom he might select as the medium. 

Those godly women whose minds and hearts are 
occupied in meditating upon themes which strengthen 
purity of life, and which elevate the soul to commune with 
God, will not be easily led astray from the path of recti¬ 
tude and virtue. Such will be fortified against the 
sophistry of Satan ; they will be prepared to withstand 
his seductive arts. 

My soul mourns for the youth who are forming char¬ 
acter in this degenerate age. I tremble for their parents 
also ; for they do not realize their obligation to train up 
their children in the way they should go. Custom and 
fashion are consulted, and as the children soon learn to 
be swayed by these, they are easily corrupted ; while 
their careless and indulgent parents are asleep to the 
danger which threatens their offspring. 

But few of the youth are free from corruption. Im¬ 
pure habits are practiced to an alarming extent, and 
have done more than any other evil to cause the degen¬ 
eration of the race. Children who indulge secret vice are 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


133 


often puny and dwarfed. The anxious parents seek a 
physician, and drugs are administered; but the evil is 
not removed, for the cause still exists. 

The victims of this habit do not love work ; and 
when engaged in it, they complain of fatigue, — they have 
backache, headache, and what not ? Be sure, parents, if 
simple, well-regulated labor exhausts your children, there 
is something else that is enervating their system. Do not 
be hasty to excuse them from physical exercise. Do not 
lift the burdens they should bear. Overwork is hurtful, 
but indolence is much more to be dreaded. Do not re¬ 
lease them from responsibility, and indulge their complaints. 
It would be the worst thing you could possibly do for them. 
It would remove almost the only barrier against Satan’s 
free access to their weakened minds. The weariness at¬ 
tending useful labor lessens the inclination to indulge in 
vice. Active hands and minds do not find time to heed 
every temptation which the enemy suggests ; but idle hands 
and brains are all ready for him to control. The mind, 
when not occupied, is inclined to dwell upon improper 
things. “ Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, 
pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in 
her and in her daughters.”* 

Children tend naturally to evil. Unless parents keep their 
children under firm control, with the fear of God before 
them, Satan will take possession of their young minds, and 
corrupt them. As they increase in years, the lustful pas¬ 
sions grow with their growth and strengthen with their 
strength. And they cannot rest until their guilty secret 
is imparted to those with whom they associate. Curiosity 
is aroused, and the knowledge of vice is passed from 
youth to youth, from child to child, until there is scarcely 
one to be found who is ignorant of it. Why do fathers 
and mothers act as though a lethargy were upon them ? 
They do not mistrust that Satan is sowing evil seed in 
their families. They are as blind and reckless in re¬ 
gard to these things as it is possible for them to be. 
Why do they not awake, and inform themselves upon 


* Eze. 16 : 49. 


134 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


these subjects ? Why do they not try to become intelli¬ 
gent in regard to the laws of life, that they may be pre¬ 
pared to care for their own and their children’s bodies in 
a way to promote physical health ? 

The power of Satan over the youth of this age is 
fearful. Unless the minds of our children are firmly bal¬ 
anced by religious principle, their morals will become 
corrupted by the vicious examples with which they come 
in contact. The greatest danger of the young is from a 
lack of self-control. Indulgent parents do not teach their 
children self-denial. The very food they place before them 
is such as to irritate the stomach. The excitement thus 
produced is communicated to the brain, and as a result 
the passions are roused. It cannot be too often repeated, 
that whatever is taken into the stomach affects not only 
the body, but ultimately the mind as well. Gross and 
stimulating food fevers the blood, excites the nervous sys¬ 
tem, and too often dulls the moral perceptions, so that 
reason and conscience are overborne by the sensual im¬ 
pulses. It is difficult, and often well-nigh impossible, for 
one who is intemperate in diet to exercise patience and 
self-control. Hence the special importance of allowing 
children, whose characters are yet unformed, to have only 
such food as is healthful and unstimulating. It was in 
love that our heavenly Father sent the light of health 
reform, to guard against the evils that result from unre¬ 
strained indulgence of appetite. 

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye 
do, do all to the glory of God.”* Are parents doing 
this when they prepare food for the table and call the 
family to partake of it ? Do they place before their chil¬ 
dren that only which they know will make the very best 
blood, that which will keep the system in the least fe¬ 
verish condition, and will place it in the best relation to 
life and health ? Or do they, regardless of the future 
good of their children, provide for them unhealthful, 
stimulating, irritating food ? 

There is nothing which more surely leads to evil than 


* i Cor. io: 31. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


135 


to lift all burdens from children, leaving them to an idle, 
aimless life, to do nothing, or to occupy themselves as 
they please. The minds of children are active, and if 
not occupied with that which is good and useful, they 
will inevitably turn to what is bad. While it is right 
and necessary for them to have recreation, they should 
be taught to work, to have regular hours for physical 
labor, and also for reading and study. See that they 
have employment suited to their years, and are supplied 
with useful and interesting books. Satan improves the 
opportunity to educate idle minds. It is a sin to let 
children grow up in idleness. Let them exercise their 
limbs and muscles, even if it wearies them. If they are 
not overworked, how can weariness harm them more than 
it harms you ? There is quite a difference between weari¬ 
ness and exhaustion. Children need more frequent change 
of employment and intervals of rest than grown persons 
do ; but even when quite young, they may begin learn¬ 
ing to work, and they will be happy in the thought that 
they are making themselves useful. Their sleep will be 
sweet after healthful labor, and they will be refreshed 
for the next day’s work. 

Some do not realize the sinfulness of impure habits, 
and the sure results. Long indulgence in evil has blinded 
their understanding. The sensitive nerves of the brain 
have lost their healthy tone, and the result is a deaden¬ 
ing of the moral sensibilities. The solemn message from 
heaven cannot forcibly impress the heart. Moral power 
is exceedingly weak when it comes in conflict with es¬ 
tablished habits. Impure thoughts have control of the 
imagination, and temptation is almost irresistible. If the 
mind were accustomed to contemplate elevating subjects, 
the imagination trained to behold pure and holy things, 
it would be fortified against temptation. It would linger 
upon the heavenly, the pure, the sacred, and could not 
be attracted to the base, corrupt, and vile. 

I have some knowledge of Satan’s manner of working, 
and know how well he succeeds in it. He has caused a 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


136 

paralysis to come upon the minds of parents, and they 
are slow to suspect evil habits in their children. Some of 
these youth profess to be Christians, and the parents sleep 
on, fearing no danger, while their children are wrecking 
both body and mind. 

It is the special work of Satan in these last days to 
take possession of the minds of youth, to corrupt the 
thoughts, and inflame the passions ; for he knows that by 
so doing he can lead to impure actions, and thus all the 
noble faculties of the mind will become debased, and he 
can control them to suit his own purposes. All are free 
moral agents, and as such they must train their thoughts 
to run in the right channel. The first work of those 
who would reform is to purify the imagination. Our 
meditations should be such as will elevate the mind. 
“Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are hon¬ 
est, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are 
pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are 
of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be 
any praise, think on these things.”* Here is a wide field 
in which the mind can safely range. If Satan seeks to 
turn it to low and sensual things, bring it back. When 
corrupt imaginings seek to gain possession of your mind, 
flee to the throne of grace, and pray for strength from 
heaven. By the grace of Christ it is possible for us to 
reject impure thoughts. Jesus will attract the mind, pu¬ 
rify the thoughts, and cleanse the heart from every secret 
sin. “ The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but 
mighty through God; . . . casting down imaginations, 
and every high thing that exalteth itself against the 
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every 
thought to the obedience ‘of Christ.” + 

The youth are seldom taught self-denial and self-control. 
They are allowed to have their own way till they become 
headstrong and self-willed, and parents are put to their 
wit’s end to know what course to pursue in order to save 
them from ruin. The corrupting doctrine that has prevailed, 
that, from a health standpoint, the sexes should mingle 

* Phil. 4:8. 


1 2 Cpr. 10:4, 5. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


137 


together, has done its mischievous work. When parents 
and guardians manifest a tithe of the shrewdness that 
Satan exercises, then can the association of the sexes be 
more nearly harmless. As it is, he is only too successful 
in his efforts to bewitch the minds of the youth, and the 
association of boys and girls only increases the evil. Young 
boys have scarcely entered their teens before they begin 
to show attention to girls of their own age, and the girls 
show a painful lack of maidenly reserve and modesty. 

What is the effect of this association ? Does it tend 
to promote purity? — No, indeed. Children become infatu¬ 
ated with a love-sick sentimentalism, and religion has no 
influence over them to arrest their wrong course. What 
can be done to stay the tide of evil ? Parents can do 
much if they will. 

If a young girl is accosted with low familiarity, she 
should be taught to so resent it that no such advances 
will ever be repeated. When a girl’s company is frequently 
sought by boys or young men, something is wrong. She 
needs the restraining and guiding influence of a firm and 
wise mother. 

Young persons who are thrown into one another’s 
•society, may make their association a blessing or a curse. 
They may edify and strengthen one another, improving 
in deportment, in disposition, in knowledge; or, by per¬ 
mitting themselves to become careless and unfaithful, they 
may exert only a demoralizing influence. 

Many of the young are eager for books. They read 
everything they can obtain. Exciting love stories and the 
specimens of nude art displayed in art galleries, have a 
corrupting influence. The imagination becomes defiled. 
Then follow sins and crimes which drag beings formed in 
the image of God down below the level of the brutes, 
and sink them at last in perdition. Avoid reading and 
seeing things which will suggest impure thoughts. Culti¬ 
vate a love for high moral and intellectual themes. Let 
not the noble powers of the mind become enfeebled and 
perverted by much reading of even story-books. I know 


138 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


of strong minds that have been unbalanced and almost 
paralyzed, by intemperate and indiscriminate reading. 

It requires skill and patient effort to mould the young 
in the right manner. Especially do children who have 
come into the world burdened with a heritage of evil, the 
direct result of the sins of their parents, need the most 
careful culture to develop and strengthen their moral 
and intellectual faculties. And the responsibility of the 
parents is heavy indeed. Evil tendencies are to be care¬ 
fully restrained and tenderly rebuked ; the mind is to be 
stimulated in favor of the right. The child should be 
encouraged in attempting to govern himself. And all 
this is to be done judiciously, or the purpose desired will 
be frustrated. 

Parents may well inquire, “ Who is sufficient for these 
things?” God alone is their sufficiency; and if they do 
not seek his aid and counsel, hopeless indeed is their task. 
But by prayer, by the study of the Bible, and by earnest 
zeal on their part, they may succeed nobly in this 
important duty, and be repaid a hundred-fold for all their 
time and care. Gossiping and anxiety concerning the 
external appearance have often taken the precious time 
that should have been devoted to prayer for wisdom and 
strength from God to fulfill this most sacred trust. Fathers 
and mothers who are wise unto salvation will seek to 
make their surroundings such that they will be favorable 
to the formation of correct character in their children. 
The source of wisdom is open to them, and from it they 
may draw the knowledge which they need. The Bible, a 
volume rich in instruction, should be their text-book. 
If they train their children according to its precepts, they 
are not only setting their young feet in the right path, 
but are educating themselves in their holy duties as well. 

The young should not be suffered to learn good and 
evil indiscriminately, with the idea that at some future 
time the good will predominate and the evil lose its 
influence. The evil will increase faster than the good. 
It is possible that after many years the evil they have 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


139 ' 


learned may be eradicated ; but who will venture this ? 
Time is short. It is easier and much safer to sow clean, 
good seed in the hearts of your children, than to pluck 
up the weeds afterward. Impressions made upon the minds 
of the young are hard to efface. How important, then, 
that these impressions be of the right sort, — that the 
elastic faculties of youth be bent in the right direction ! 

Throw around your children the charms of home and 
of your society. Treat them with candor, Christian ten¬ 
derness, and love. This will give you a strong influence 
over them, and they will feel that they can repose 
unlimited confidence in you. Then they will not have so 
much desire for the society of young associates. Because 
of the evils now in the world, and the restriction which 
it is necessary to place upon children, parents should have 
double care to bind them to their hearts, and to let them 
see that they wish to make them happy. 

Among the youth there is an inclination to associate 
with those who are inferior in mind and morals. What 
real enjoyment can a young person expect from a vol¬ 
untary association with those who have a low standard of 
thought, feeling, and deportment ? Some are debased in 
taste and depraved in habit, and all who choose such 
companions will be in danger of following their pernicious 
example. 

Those who desire immortality must not allow an 
impure thought or act. If Christ be the theme of con¬ 
templation, the thoughts will be widely separated from 
every subject which will lead to impurity in action. The 
mind will be strengthened by dwelling upon elevating 
subjects. If trained to run in the channel of purity and 
holiness, it will become healthy and vigorous. If trained 
to dwell upon spiritual themes, it will come naturally to 
take that channel. But this attraction of the thoughts to 
heavenly things cannot be gained without the exercise of 
faith in God, and an earnest, humble reliance upon him 
for that strength and grace which will be sufficient for 
every emergency. 


140 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


Ample provision has been made for all who sincerely, 
earnestly, and thoughtfully set about the work of perfect¬ 
ing holiness in the fear of God. Strength and grace have 
been provided through Christ, to be brought by minister¬ 
ing angels to the heirs of salvation. None are so low, so 
currupt and vile, that they cannot find in Jesus, who 
died for them, strength and purity and righteousness, if 
they will put away their sins, turn from their course of 
iniquity, and with full purpose of heart seek the living 
God. He is waiting to take away their stained garments, 
polluted by sin, and to put upon them the pure robe of 
his righteousness, to bid them live and not die. In him, 
as branches of the Living Vine, they may flourish. Their 
boughs will not wither nor be fruitless. If they abide in 
him, they can draw nourishment from him, be imbued 
with his spirit, walk as he walked, overcome as he over¬ 
came, and be exalted to his own right hand. 


CLEANLINESS AN AID TO PURITY. 


“Why take ye thought for raiment?” “Is not the 
life more than meat, and the body than raiment ? ” * 

The mother should not give her time and strength to 
the needless ornamentation of her children’s clothing; 
indeed, she cannot do this if she has a true sense of her 
accountability to God. It is not essential to trim and 
embroider clothing; the time thus spent is precious, and 
should be given to the forming of character, the develop¬ 
ment of the mind, the inculcation of right principles, to 
teaching the children purity, modesty, and truthfulness. 

Food should be so simple that its preparation will not 
absorb all the time of the mother. It is true, care should 
be taken to furnish the table with healthful food prepared 
in a wholesome and inviting manner. Do not think that 
anything you can carelessly throw together to serve as 
food is good enough for the children. But less time 
should be devoted to the preparation of unhealthful dishes 
for the table, to please a perverted taste, and more time 
to the education and training of the children. Let the 
strength which is now given to the unnecessary planning 
of what you shall eat and drink, and wherewithal you 
shall be clothed, be directed to keeping their persons 
clean and their clothes neat. Do not misunderstand me 
in this. I do not say that you must keep them in-doors, 
like dolls. There is nothing impure in clean sand and 
dry earth; it is the emanations from the body that de¬ 
file, requiring the clothing to be changed and the body 
washed. 

Frequent bathing is very beneficial, especially at night, 
just before retiring, or upon rising in the morning. It 
will take but a few moments to give the children a bath, 
and to rub them until their bodies are in a glow. This 
brings the blood to the surface, relieving the brain ; and 

* Matt. 6 :28, 25. (141 ) 



142 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


there will be less inclination to indulge in impure practices. 
Teach the little ones that God is not pleased to see them 
with unclean bodies and untidy, torn garments. Tell 
them that he wants them to be pure without and within, 
that he may dwell with them. 

Having the clothing neat and clean will be one means 
of keeping the thoughts pure and sweet. Every article 
of dress should be plain and simple, without unnecessary 
adornment, so that it will be but little work to wash and 
iron it. Especially should every article which comes in 
contact with the skin be kept clean, and free from any 
offensive odor. Nothing of an irritating character should 
touch the bodies of children, nor should their clothing be 
allowed to bind them in any way. If more attention 
were given to this subject, far less impurity would be 
practiced. 

I have often seen children’s beds in such a condition 
that the foul, poisonous odor constantly rising from them 
was to me unendurable. Keep everything the eyes of the 
children rest upon and that comes in contact with the 
body, night or day, clean and wholesome. This will be 
one means of educating them to choose the cleanly and 
the pure. 

Let the sleeping-room of your children be neat, how¬ 
ever destitute it may be of expensive furniture. Begin 
early to teach the little ones to take care of their cloth¬ 
ing. Let them have a place to lay their things away, 
and be taught to fold every article neatly and put it in 
its place. If you cannot afford even a cheap bureau, use 
a dry-goods box, fitting it with shelves, and covering it 
with some bright, pretty figured cloth. This work of 
teaching neatness and order will take a little time each 
day, but it will pay in the future of your children, and 
in the end will save you much time and care. 

If parents desire their children to be pure, they must 
surround them with pure associations, such as God can 
approve. The home must be kept pure and clean. Un¬ 
clean, neglected corners in the house will tend to make 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


143 


impure, neglected corners in the soul. Mothers, you are 
the educators of your children, and you can do a great 
deal if you begin early to inculcate pure thoughts, by fit¬ 
ting up their rooms in a cleanly, tasteful, attractive man¬ 
ner. If the children have a room which they know is 
their own, and if they are taught how to keep it tidy 
and make it pleasant, they will have a sense of owner¬ 
ship,— they will feel that they have within the home a 
home of their own, and will have a satisfaction in keep¬ 
ing it neat and nice. The mother will necessarily have 
to inspect their work, and make suggestions and give in¬ 
struction. This is the mother’s work, and nothing should 
be permitted to come between her and her children. 

When visitors come, as they frequently will, they should 
not be allowed to absorb all the time and attention of 
the mother; her children’s temporal and spiritual welfare 
should come first. Time should not be used in preparing 
rich cakes, pies, and unhealthful viands for the table. 
These are an extra expense, and many cannot afford it. 
But the greater evil is in the example. Let the simplicity 
of the family be preserved. Do not try to give the im¬ 
pression that you can sustain a style of living which is 
really beyond your means. Do not try to appear what 
you are not, either in your table preparations or in your 
manners. While you should treat your visitors kindly, 
and make them feel at home, you should ever remember 
that you are a teacher to the little ones God has given 
you. They are watching you, and no course of yours 
should direct their feet in a wrong way. Be to your vis¬ 
itors just what you are to your family every day,— pleas¬ 
ant, considerate, and courteous. In this way all can be 
educators, an example of good works. They testify that 
there is something more essential than to keep the mind 
on what they shall eat and drink, and wherewithal they 
shall be clothed. 

Let the mother’s dress, also, be simple and neat. So 
may she preserve her dignity and influence. If mothers 
allow themselves to wear untidy garments at home, they 


144 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


are teaching their children to follow in the same slovenly 
way. Many mothers think that anything is good enough 
for home wear, be it ever so soiled and shabby. But 
they soon lose their influence in the family. The children 
draw comparisons between their mother’s tlress and that 
of others who dress neatly, and their respect for her is 
weakened. Mothers, make yourselves as attractive as pos¬ 
sible, not by elaborate trimming, but by wearing clean, 
well-fitting garments. Thus you will give to your chil¬ 
dren constant lessons in neatness and purity. The love 
and respect of her children should be of the highest 
value to every mother. Everything upon her person 
should teach cleanliness and order, and should be asso¬ 
ciated in their minds with purity. There is a sense of fit¬ 
ness, an idea of the appropriateness of things, in the minds 
of even very young children; and how can they be im¬ 
pressed with the desirability of purity and holiness when 
their eyes daily rest on untidy dresses and disorderly 
rooms ? How can the heavenly guests, whose home is 
where all is pure and holy, be invited into such a dwell¬ 
ing ? 

The word of God declares, “ Know ye not that your 
body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, 
which ye have of God, and ye are not your own ? For 
ye are bought with a price ; therefore glorify God in your 
body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” * 

Parents are under obligation to God to make their 
surroundings such as will correspond to the truth they 
profess. They can then give correct lessons to their chil¬ 
dren, and the children will learn to associate the home 
below with the home above. The family here must, as 
far as possible, be a model of the one in heaven. Then 
temptations to indulge in what is low and groveling will 
lose much of their force. Children should be taught that 
they are only probationers here, and educated to become 
inhabitants of the mansions which Christ is preparing for 
those who love him and keep his commandments. This 
is the highest duty which parents have to perform. 

* i Cor. 6 :19, 20. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


145 


Parents should in a special sense regard themselves as 
agents of God to instruct their children, as did Abraham, 
to keep the way of the Lord. They need to search the 
Scriptures diligently, to know what is the way of the 
Lord, that they may teach it to their household. Micah 
says, “ What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do 
justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy 
God ? ” * In order to be teachers, parents must be learn¬ 
ers, gathering light constantly from the oracles of God, 
and by precept and example bringing this precious light 
into the education of their children. Teach them that 
principle should govern their eating, their drinking, and 
their dressing. Teach them from their very babyhood 
that God’s law is the rule of the house, and that it must 
be obeyed in all the relations of life ; that a disregard of 
moral law will exist wherever there is a willful disregard 
of physical law. 

The Christian life is one of constant self-denial and 
self-control. These are the lessons to be taught to the 
children from their infancy. Teach them that they must 
practice temperance, purity in thought and heart and 
act; that they belong to God, because they have been 
bought with a price, even the precious blood of his dear 
Son. , 

* Micah 6:8. 


IO 


HOPE FOR THE TEMPTED. 


In order to reach excellency of character, we must 
realize the value which Christ has placed upon the hu¬ 
man race. In the beginning, man was invested with 
dignity; but he fell through indulgence of appetite. 
Notwithstanding the great gulf thus opened between 
God and man, Christ loved the hopeless sinner, and 
came to our world to bridge the gulf, and unite divine 
power to human weakness, that in his strength and grace 
man might wrestle for himself against Satan’s temptations, 
overcome for himself, and stand in his God-given man¬ 
hood, a victor over perverted appetite and degrading pas¬ 
sions. The last words of David to Solomon, then a young 
man and soon to be honored with the throne of Israel, 
were, “Be thou strong, . . . and show thyself a man.”* 
To the weak and tempted one I address the same, “Show 
thyself a man.” I point you to the cross of Calvary. I bid 
you in the name of Jesus, Look and live. Destroy not 
yourself. With God’s blessing it is possible for you to 
gain the ascendency over appetite and debasing passion. 

God has made man capable of constant progress in 
everything that constitutes mental and moral dignity. No 
other creature of his hand is capable of such advance¬ 
ment. Man can reach an eminence in self-control and 
dignity that will raise him above the slavery of appetite 
and passion, where he can stand before God as a man, 
his name written in the books of heaven. 

Let the light of truth shine into the mind of a man, 
let the love of God be shed abroad in his heart, and we 
can hardly conceive what he may be or what God can 
do through him. Though a fallen son of Adam, he may, 
through the merits of Christ, be an heir of immortality, 
his thoughts elevated and ennobled, his heart purified, 
.and his conversation in heaven. Think, O, think of the 


C146) 


* 1 Kings 2:2. 



BIBLE HYGIENE. 


147 


superiority of an intelligent Christian man over a poor 
votary of sin ! Note the difference between man blinded 
by sin, the victim of his own evil passions, and sunk in 
vice, and a man reclaimed by the truth of God’s word, 
ennobled by looking to Jesus and believing in him, and 
becoming a partaker of the divine nature. 

Look at the condition of the men who give them¬ 
selves up to intemperance. Littleness, earthliness, degra¬ 
dation, mark their entire character. This is the result of 
their evil course. They have been walking in the way 
of their own heart, and in the sight of their own eyes, 
and are filled with their own devices. Their wretched 
homes are a hell, made so by themselves. “ Whatso¬ 
ever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” * Shall these 
men charm you ? Would you sink into ignorance and de¬ 
basement, and become besotted, like them ? Shall the 
habits and practices of these debased creatures, who bear 
scarcely a trace of the moral image of God, be your 
pattern ? Is not the picture of their degraded condition 
enough to make you shun the first step in the same di¬ 
rection ? Would you desire to be shut out of heaven with 
such company ? 

Let me say to him who is struggling to overcome, 
God presents before you a strong hope, that you may lay 
hold on eternal life. Lose no opportunity of becoming a 
man. When you look at yourself, and realize the strength 
of temptation, you feel so weak in moral power that you 
say, “ I cannot resist.” I tell you, you can resist, you 
must resist temptation. Although you may have been 
overcome, although moral debasement may have marked 
your course, it need not always be thus. Jesus is your 
helper. In his strength you can overcome the beguiling 
power of appetite. Summon will-power to your aid. 

The will is the governing power in the nature of man. 
If the will is set right, all the rest of the being will come 
under its sway. The will is not the taste or the inclina¬ 
tion, but it is the choice, the deciding power, the kingly 

* Gal. 6 : 7. 


148 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


power, which works in the children of men unto obedi¬ 
ence to God or to disobedience. 

You will be in constant peril until you understand the 
true force of the will. You may believe and promise all 
things, but your promises and your faith are of no ac¬ 
count until you put your will on the right side. If you 
will fight the fight of faith with your will-power, there is 
no doubt that you will conquer. 

Your part is to put your will on the side of Christ. 
When you yield your will to his, he immediately takes 
possession of you, and works in you to will and to do of 
his good pleasure. Your nature is brought under the con¬ 
trol of his Spirit. Even your thoughts are subject to him. 
If you cannot control your impulses, your emotions, as 
you may desire, you can control the will, and thus an en¬ 
tire change will be wrought in your life. When you yield 
up your will to Christ, your life is hid with Christ in 
God. It is allied to the power which is above all princi¬ 
palities and powers. You have a strength from God that 
holds you fast to his strength ; and a new life, even the 
life of faith, is possible to you. 

You can never be successful in elevating yourself, un¬ 
less your will is on the side of Christ, co-operating with 
the Spirit of God. Do not feel that you cannot; but 
say, “I can, I will.” And God has pledged his Holy 
Spirit to help you in every decided effort. 

Every one of us may know that there is a power 
working with our efforts to overcome. Why will not men 
lay hold upon the help that has been provided, that they 
may become elevated and ennobled ? Why do they de¬ 
grade themselves by the indulgence of perverted appetite ? 
Why do they not rise in the strength of Jesus, and be 
victorious in his name ? The very feeblest prayer that we 
can offer, Jesus will hear. He pities the weakness of every 
soul. Help for every one has been laid upon Him who is 
mighty to save. I point you to Jesus Christ, the sinner’s 
Saviour, who alone can give you power to overcome on 
every point. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


149 


Heaven is worth everything to us. We must not run 
any risk in this matter. We must take no venture here. 
We must know that our steps are ordered by the Lord. 
May God help us in the great work of overcoming. 
He has crowns for those that overcome. He has white 
robes for the righteous. He has an eternal world of glory 
for those who seek for glory, honor, and immortality. 
Every one who enters the city of God will enter it as a 
conqueror. He will not enter it as a condemned criminal, 
but as a son of God. And the welcome given to every 
one who enters there will be, “ Come, ye blessed of my 
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world/’* 

Gladly would I speak words that would aid such trem¬ 
bling souls to fasten their grasp by faith upon the mighty 
Helper, that they might develop a character upon which 
God will be pleased to look. Heaven may invite them, 
and present its choicest blessings, and they may have 
every facility to develop a perfect character ; but all will 
be in vain unless they are willing to help themselves. 
They must put forth their own God-given powers, or they 
will sink lower and lower, and be of no account for good, 
either in time or in eternity. 

One who is weakened, and even degraded by sinful 
indulgence, may become a son of God. It is in his power 
to be constantly doing good to others, and helping them 
to overcome temptation; and in so doing he will reap 
benefit to himself. He may be a bright and shining light 
in the world, and at last hear the benediction, “ Well 
done, good and faithful servant,” from the lips of the 
King of Glory. 


* Matt. 25 : 34. 


FRAGMENTS. 


HEALTH is a treasure. Of all temporal possessions it 
is the most precious. Wealth, learning, and honor are 
dearly purchased at the loss of the vigor of health. 
None of these can secure happiness, if health is lacking. 
It is a terrible sin to abuse the health that God has given 
us ; such abuses enfeeble us for life, and make us losers, 
even if we gain by such means any amount of education. 

SATAN’S Power. — The present enfeebled condition of 
the human family has been presented before me. Every 
generation has been growing weaker, and diseases of every 
form afflict the race. Thousands of poor mortals, with 
deformed, sickly bodies, shattered nerves, and gloomy 
minds, are dragging out a miserable existence. Satan’s 
power upon the human family increases. If the Lord 
were not soon to come and put an end to his cruel work, 
the earth would ere long be depopulated. 

I was shown that Satan’s power is especially exercised 
upon the people of God. Many were presented before 
me in a doubting, despairing condition. The infirmities 
of the body affect the mind. A cunning and powerful 
enemy attends our steps, and employs his strength and 
skill in trying to turn us out of the right way. Too often 
it is the case that the people of God are not on the 
watch, and are therefore ignorant of his devices. He 
works by means which will best conceal himself from 
view, and he often gains his object. 


Appetite. — Providence has been leading the people 
of God out from the extravagant habits of the world, 
away from the indulgence of appetite and passion, to take 
their stand upon the platform of self-denial, and temper¬ 
ance in all things. The people whom God is leading will 
(150) 





BIBLE HYGIENE. 


151 

be peculiar. They will not be like the world. If they 
follow the leadings of God, they will accomplish his pur¬ 
poses, and will yield their will to his will. Christ will 
dwell in the heart. The temple of God will be holy. 
Your body, says the apostle, is the temple of the Holy 
Ghost. God does not require his children to deny them¬ 
selves to the injury of physical strength. He requires 
them to obey natural law, in order to preserve physical 
health. Nature’s path is the road he marks out, and it is 
broad enough for any Christian. With a lavish hand God 
has provided us with rich and varied bounties for our sus¬ 
tenance and enjoyment. But in order for us to enjoy the 
natural appetite, which will preserve health and prolong 
life, he restricts the appetite. He says, Beware! restrain, 
deny, unnatural appetite. If we create a perverted appe¬ 
tite, we violate the laws of our being, and assume the 
responsibility of abusing our bodies and of bringing dis¬ 
ease upon ourselves. 

God has bountifully provided for the sustenance and 
happiness of all his creatures; if his laws were never 
violated, if all acted in harmony with the divine will, 
health, peace, and happiness, instead of misery and con¬ 
tinual evil, would be the result. 

Some are not impressed with the necessity of eating 
and drinking to the glory of God. The indulgence of 
appetite affects them in all the • relations of life. It is 
seen in the family, in the church, in the prayer-meeting, 
and in the conduct of their children. It is the curse of 
their lives. It prevents them from understanding the 
truths for these last days. 


I saw that God does not require any one to practice 
such rigid economy as to weaken or injure the temple of 
God. There are duties and requirements in his word to 
humble the church, and cause them to afflict their souls; 
there is no need of making crosses and manufacturing 





152 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


duties to distress the body, in order to cause humility. 
All this is outside the word of God. 

The time of trouble is just before us, and then stern 
necessity will require the people of God to deny self, and 
eat merely enough to sustain life; but God will prepare 
them for that time. In that fearful hour, their necessity 
will be God’s opportunity to impart strength, and sustain 
his people. But now God requires them to labor with 
their hands, the thing that is good, and lay by them in 
store as he has prospered them, and to do their part in 
sustaining the cause of truth. This is a duty enjoined 
upon all who are not especially called to labor in word 
and doctrine, to devote their time to proclaiming to 
others the way of life and salvation. 

Those who labor with their hands, and those who 
labor in word and doctrine, must have a care to sustain 
their physical powers ; for Satan and his evil angels are 
warring against them, seeking to undermine their strength. 
When they can, they should take rest both in body and 
mind, and should eat of nourishing food ; for they will 
be obliged to use all the power they have. I saw that 
it does not glorify God in the least for any of his people 
to make a time of trouble for themselves. There is a 
time of trouble just before us, but he will prepare us for 
that fearful conflict. 


The indulgence of lustful appetite wars against the soul; 
it is a constant hinderance to spiritual advancement. Those 
who yield to these lower impulses, bear an accusing con¬ 
science ; and when strait truths are presented, they are 
ready to take offense. They are self-condemned, and 
think that these subjects have been purposely selected in 
order to reprove them. They feel grieved and injured, 
and withdraw themselves from the assemblies of the 
church. Then the conscience is not so disturbed. Thus 
they soon lose their interest in the meetings, and their 
love for the truth. If these will crucify fleshly lusts, the 
arrows of truth will pass harmlessly by them. But while 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


153 


they indulge lustful appetite, and thus cherish their idols, 
they make themselves a mark for the shafts of truth; if 
the truth is spoken at all, it must wound them. 

Some think they cannot reform, that it would ruin 
their health to leave off the use of tea, tobacco, and flesh- 
meats. This is a suggestion of Satan. These hurtful 
stimulants will surely undermine the constitution, and 
prepare the system for acute disease; for they impair 
nature’s delicate machinery, and batter down the fortifi¬ 
cations she has erected against disease and premature 
decay. 


Some feel as though they would like to have some¬ 
body tell them how much to eat. This is not as it should 
be. We are to act from a moral and religious standpoint. 
We are to be temperate in all things, because an incor¬ 
ruptible crown, a heavenly treasure, is before us. 

I wish to say to my brethren and sisters, I would 
have moral courage to take my position, and govern my¬ 
self. I would not want to put that on some one else. 
You eat too much, and then you are sorry; and so you 
keep thinking of what you eat and drink. Just eat that 
which is for the best, and go right away, feeling clear in 
the sight of Heaven, and you need not suffer from re¬ 
morse of conscience. 


We do not believe in removing temptation entirely 
away from either children or grown persons. We all 
have a warfare before us, and must stand in a position 
to resist the temptations of Satan. 


Some have sneered at health reform, and have said it 
was all unnecessary, that it was an excitement which 
tended to divert minds from present truth. They have 
said that matters were carried to extremes. Such do not 
know what they are talking about. While men and wo¬ 
men professing godliness are diseased from the crown of 






154 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


the head to the sole of the feet; while their physical, 
mental, and moral energies are enfeebled through gratifi¬ 
cation of depraved appetite and excessive labor, how can 
they weigh the evidences of truth, and comprehend the 
requirements of God ? If their moral and intellectual 
faculties are beclouded, they cannot appreciate the value 
of the atonement or the exalted character of the work 
of God, nor delight in the study of his word. How can 
a nervous dyspeptic be ready always to give an answer 
to every man that asketh him, a reason for the hope that 
is in him, with meekness and fear ? How soon would such 
a one become confused and agitated, and by his diseased 
imagination be led to view matters in an altogether wrong 
light, and by a lack of that meekness and calmness which 
characterized the life of Christ, be caused to dishonor his 
profession while contending with unreasonable men ? 

As a people, with all our profession of health reform, 
we eat too much. Indulgence of appetite is the greatest 
cause of physical and mental debility, and lies at the 
foundation of a large share of the feebleness which is ap¬ 
parent everywhere. 


The controlling power of appetite will prove the ruin 
of thousands, who, if they had conquered on this point, 
would have had the moral power to gain the victory over 
every other temptation. But those who are slaves to ap¬ 
petite will fail of perfecting Christian character. The 
continual transgression of man for over six thousand 
years has brought sickness, pain, and death as its fruit. 
And as we draw near the close of time, Satan’s tempta¬ 
tions to indulge appetite will be more powerful, and more 
difficult to resist. 


There are but few who are roused sufficiently to un¬ 
derstand how much their habits of diet affect their health, 
their character, their usefulness in this world, and their 
eternal destiny. I saw that it is the duty of those who 





AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


155 


have received the light from heaven, and have realized the 
benefit of walking in it, to manifest a greater interest for 
those who are still suffering for want of knowledge. Sab¬ 
bath-keepers who are looking for the soon appearing of 
their Saviour should be the last to manifest a lack of in¬ 
terest in this great work of reform. Men and women 
must be instructed, and ministers and people should feel 
that the burden of the work rests upon them to agitate 
the subject and seek to educate others. 


To become intelligent upon the subject of hygiene is 
the duty of every family professing to believe present 
truth. 


Appetite and passion are overcoming thousands of 
Christ’s professed followers. Through familiarity with sin, 
their senses become so blunted that evil seems attractive 
to them, rather than abhorrent. The end of all things is 
at hand. God will not much longer bear with the crimes 
and debasing iniquity of the children of men. Their sins 
have reached unto heaven, and will soon be answered by 
the fearful plagues of God upon the earth. They will 
drink the cup of his wrath, unmixed with mercy. 

CHURCH Trials. — The abuses of the stomach by the 
gratification of appetite are a fruitful source of most 
church trials. Those who eat and work intemperately 
and irrationally, talk and act irrationally. It is not nec¬ 
essary to drink alcoholic liquors in order to be intemper¬ 
ate. The sin of intemperate eating — eating too frequently, 
too much, and of rich, unwholesome food — destroys the 
healthy action of the digestive organs, affects the brain, 
and perverts the judgment, preventing rational, calm, 
healthy thinking and acting. In order for the people of 
God to be in an acceptable state with him, where they 
can glorify him in their bodies and spirits, which are his,, 
they must with interest and zeal deny the gratification of 
appetite, and exercise temperance in all things. Then 





156 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


they can comprehend the truth in its beauty and clear¬ 
ness, and carry it out in their lives, and by a judicious, 
straight-forward course give the enemies of our faith no oc¬ 
casion to reproach the cause of truth. God requires all who 
believe the truth to make special, persevering efforts to 
place themselves in the best possible condition of bodily 
health, for a solemn and important work is before us. 
Health of mind and body is required in this work; it is 
as essential to a healthy religious experience, to advance¬ 
ment in the Christian life, to progress in holiness, as is 
the hand or foot to the human body. God requires his 
people to cleanse themselves “from all filthiness of the 
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” * 
All who are indifferent, and excuse themselves from this 
work, waiting for the Lord to do for them what he re¬ 
quires them to do for themselves, will be found wanting 
when the meek of the earth, who have wrought his 
judgments, are hid in the day of the Lord’s anger. 


COOKING. — For want of knowledge and skill in regard 
to cooking, many a wife and mother daily sets before her 
family ill-prepared food, which is steadily and surely im¬ 
pairing the digestive organs, and making a poor quality 
of blood ; the result is, frequent attacks of inflammatory 
disease, and sometimes death. Many a life has been sac¬ 
rificed by the eating of heavy, sour bread. An instance 
was related to me, of a hired girl who made a batch of 
such bread. In order to get rid of it and conceal the 
matter, she threw it to some very large hogs. Next 
morning the man of the house found his swine dead; 
and upon examining the trough he found pieces of this 
heavy bread. He made inquiries, and the girl acknowl¬ 
edged what she had done. She had not thought of the 
effect of such bread upon the swine. If sour, heavy 
bread will kill swine, which can devour rattlesnakes and 
almost every -detestable thing, what effect must it have 
upon that tender organ, the human stomach? 


* 2 Cor. 7 : i. 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


157 


It is a religious duty for every Christian girl and wo¬ 
man to learn to make good, sweet, light bread from 
unbolted wheat flour. Mothers should take their daughters 
into the kitchen with them when very young, and teach 
them the art of cooking. The mother cannot expect her 
daughters to understand the mysteries of housekeeping 
without education. She should instruct them patiently, 
lovingly, and make the work as agreeable as she can by 
her cheerful countenance and words of approval. If they 
fail once, twice, or thrice, censure not. Already discour¬ 
agement is doing its work, and tempting them to say, 
“It is no use; I can’t do it.” This is not the time for 
censure. The will is becoming weakened. It needs the 
spur of encouraging, cheerful, hopeful words: “Never 
mind the mistakes you have made. You are but a 
learner, and must expect to make blunders. Try again. 
Put your mind on what you are doing. Be very careful, 
and you will certainly succeed.” 

Many mothers fail to realize the importance of this 
branch of knowledge, and rather than have the trouble 
and care of instructing their children and bearing with 
their failures and errors, they prefer to do all the cook¬ 
ing themselves. And when their daughters make mis¬ 
takes in their efforts, they send them away with, “It is 
no use; you can’t do this or that. You perplex and 
trouble me more than you help.” Thus the first efforts 
of the learners are repulsed, and the failure so cools their 
interest and ardor to learn that they dread another trial, 
and will propose to knit, sew, clean house,— anything but 
cook. Here the mother was greatly at fault. She should 
have patiently instructed them, that they might, by prac¬ 
tice, acquire skill and efficiency. 


We can have a variety of good, wholesome food, cooked 
in a healthful manner, so that it will be palatable to all. 
It is of vital importance to know how to cook. Poor 
cooking produces disease and bad tempers; the system 



158 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


becomes deranged, and heavenly things cannot be dis¬ 
cerned. There is more religion in good cooking than you 
have any idea of. When I have been away from home 
sometimes, I have known that the bread upon the table, 
as well as most of the other food, would hurt me; but I 
would be obliged to eat a little in order to sustain life. 
It is a sin in the sight of Heaven to have such food. 


Milk AND Sugar. — Large quantities of milk and sugar 
eaten together are injurious. They impart impurities to 
the system. Animals from which milk is obtained are 
not always healthy. Could we know that animals were 
in perfect health, I would recommend that people eat 
flesh-meats sooner than large quantities of milk and sugar. 
It would not do the injury that milk and sugar do. 

There was a case in Michigan to which I will refer. 
It was that of a man of fine physical appearance. I had 
previously conversed with him in regard to his manner of 
living, and was called to visit him in his sickness. “I do 
not like the looks of your eyes,” I said. He was eating 
large quantities of sugar, and in answer to my question 
why he did this, he said that he had left off meat, and 
did not know anything that would supply its place as well 
as sugar. His food did not satisfy him. This man was 
suffering simply because his wife did not know how to 
cook. She was deficient in this important branch of ed¬ 
ucation ; and as the result, the poorly cooked food not 
being sufficient to sustain the demands of the system, 
sugar was eaten immoderately, and this brought on a 
diseased condition of the entire system. I tried to tell 
them as well as I could how to manage, and soon the 
sick man began to improve. But he imprudently exer¬ 
cised his strength when not able, ate a small amount not 
of the right quality, and was taken down again. This 
time there was no help for him. His system seemed to 
be a living mass of corruption. He died a victim to poor 
cooking. 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


159 


Domestic Duties for Students. — However good 
the advantages of the student may be for gaining a 
knowledge of books, his character is still unformed if he 
has not an experience in the practical duties of every¬ 
day life. 


Dress. — We as a people do not believe it our duty to 
go out of the world in order to be out of fashion. If we 
have a plain, neat, modest, comfortable style of dress, 
and others choose to adopt it, shall we change our dress 
in order to be different from them? — No; we should not 
be singular in our dress for the sake of differing from the 
world : they would despise us for so doing. Christians 
are the light of the world, the salt of the earth. Their 
dfess should be neat and modest, their conversation chaste 
and heavenly, and their deportment blameless. 


Shunning Duty. —Those who, having had the light 
upon the subject of eating and dressing with simplicity, 
in obedience to moral and physical laws, still turn from 
the light which points out their duty, will shun duty in 
other things. By shunning the cross which they would 
have to take up in order to be in harmony with natural 
law, they blunt the conscience ; and they will, to avoid 
reproach, violate the ten commandments. There is with 
some a decided unwillingness to endure the cross and de¬ 
spise the shame. 

WOMAN’S Rights. — There are speculations as to wo¬ 
man’s rights, and her duty in regard to voting ; but many 
women have had no discipline which would qualify them 
to understand the bearing of important questions. They 
have lived a life of fashion and self-gratification. Women 
who might develop a good intellect, who might perfect a 
noble character, are mere slaves to custom. They lack 
breadth of thought and intellectual culture. They can 
talk understandingly of the latest styles of dress, or of 





160 CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 

the next party or ball; but they are not prepared to act 
wisely in political matters. They are mere creatures of 
circumstance. 


Exercise. — Air is the free blessing of Heaven; it in¬ 
vigorates the whole system. Deprived of pure air, the 
body becomes diseased, torpid,' and enfeebled. 

Physicians often advise invalids to visit foreign coun¬ 
tries, to go to some mineral spring, or to traverse the 
ocean, in order to regain health ; when, in nine cases out 
of ten, if they would eat temperately, and engage in 
healthful exercise with a cheerful spirit, they would re¬ 
gain health, and save time and money. Exercise, and a 
free, abundant use of the air and sunlight,— blessings 
which Heaven has bestowed upon all,— would in many 
cases give life and strength to the emaciated invalid. 

Many have suffered from severe mental taxation, un¬ 
relieved by physical exercise. The result is a deteriora¬ 
tion of their powers, and they are inclined to shun 
responsibilities. What they need is more active labor. 
This condition is not confined to those whose heads are 
white with the frost of time ; men young in years have 
fallen into the same state, and have become mentally 
feeble. 


Strictly temperate habits, combined with exercise of 
the muscles as well as of the mind, will preserve both 
mental and physical vigor, and give power of endurance 
to those engaged in the ministry, to editors, and to all 
others whose habits are sedentary. 


Ministers, teachers, and students do not become as 
intelligent as they should in regard to the necessity of 
physical exercise in the open air. They neglect this duty, 
a duty which is most essential to the preservation of health. 
They closely apply their minds to study, and yet eat the 
allowance of a laboring man. Under such habits, some 






AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


161 


grow corpulent, because the system is clogged. Others 
become thin and feeble, because their vital powers are 
exhausted in throwing off the excess of food. The liver 
is burdened, being unable to throw off the impurities of 
the blood, and sickness is the result. If physical exer¬ 
cise were combined with mental exertion, the circulation 
of the blood would be quickened, the action of the heart 
would be more perfect, impure matter would be thrown 
off, and new life and vigor would bd felt in every part of 
the body. 

When the minds of ministers, school teachers, and 
students are continually excited by study, and the body 
is allowed to be inactive, the nerves of emotion are taxed, 
while the nerves of motion are inactive. The wear being 
wholly on the mental organs, they become overworked 
and enfeebled, while the muscles lose their vigor for want 
of employment. There is no inclination to exercise the 
muscles in physical labor; exertion seems to be irksome. 


It is a sacred work in which we are engaged. The 
apostle Paul exhorts his brethren, “ Having therefore these 
promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all 
filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the 
fear of God.” * It is a duty that we owe to God to keep 
the spirit pure, as a temple for the Holy Ghost. If the 
heart and mind are devoted to the service of God, obey¬ 
ing all his commandments, loving him with all the heart, 
might, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves, 
we shall be found loyal and true to the requirements of 
Heaven. 


We are now in God’s workshop. Many of us are 
rough stones from the quarry. But as the truth of God 
is brought to bear upon us, every imperfection is removed, 
and we are prepared to shine as lively stones in the 
heavenly temple, where we shall be brought into associa¬ 
tion, not only with the holy angels, but with the King 
of heaven himself. 


*2 Cor. 7 : i. 


ii 




CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


162 


The consciousness of right-doing is the “best medicine 
for diseased bodies and minds. The special blessing of 
God resting upon the receiver is health and strength. A 
person whose mind is quiet and satisfied in God, is in 
the pathway to health. To have a consciousness that the 
eyes of the Lord are upon us, that his ears are open to 
our prayers, is a satisfaction indeed. To know that we 
have a never-failing Friend to whom we can confide all the 
secrets of the soul, is a privilege which words can never 
•express. Those whose moral faculties are beclouded by 
disease are not the ones rightly to represent the Christian 
life or the beauties of holiness. They are too often in 
the fire of fanaticism, or the water of cold indifference or 
stolid gloom. The words of Christ are of more worth 
than the opinions of all the physicians in the universe: 
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous¬ 
ness,'and all these things shall be added unto you.”* 


* Matt. 6 :33. 


Bible Hygiene. 


INTRODUCTION. 

[HYGIENE from a Bible standpoint has always been a 
favorite theme with Mrs. White. Her husband, Elder 
James White, was also especially interested in the study 
of Bible hygiene, and took great pleasure in showing the 
wonderful harmony between true science and the Script¬ 
ures. His intimate acquaintance with the views of his 
wife, and his own experience with disease during several 
attacks of grave illness, by which he was led to a most 
careful consideration of the various phases of the health 
question, qualified him in a peculiar manner to write and 
speak intelligently upon this subject. The reader will be 
both interested and instructed by the perusal of the follow¬ 
ing collation of the more important writings of Elder 
White on the subject of hygiene from a Bible standpoint.] 

The eccentric Lorenzo Dow once truthfully said that 
prejudice is like a cork in a bottle ; it does not let any¬ 
thing out, neither does it let anything into the bottle. 
So blind prejudice will blockade the mind, and not allow 
errors to pass out of it, nor the plainest truths to enter 
in. It is asking too much when we say to men, “ Give 
up your prejudices.” But few could do this, should they 
try. In fact, they have a right to their prejudices, if held 
subordinate to reason. Hence we do not ask men to sur¬ 
render their prejudices; but we do invite Christians, in the 
name of reason and religion, to so far waive their preju¬ 
dices as to weigh evidence in the scales of reason and 
justice. 

With a large portion of the people, the Bible is the 
highest and safest authority in all matters of truth and 

(163) 



CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


164 

duty. Prove to Christian men and women, who fear God 
and tremble at his word, that existing reformatory move¬ 
ments are in strict harmony with the teachings of the 
Sacred Scriptures, and they will no longer regard them 
as unworthy of their notice. But the very general im¬ 
pression that the restrictions of hygienic practice are not 
sustained by the word of God, has placed many sincere 
Christians where it is difficult to reach them. 

It is a painful fact that vain philosophy, driveling 
skepticism, and the extremes of some who have been 
connected with the health reform movement, have done 
much to prejudice sincere persons against the true phil¬ 
osophy of health. But those who revere God and his 
holy word can be reached with the plain declarations of 
Scripture. We hope to make it appear that the Bible 
does not justify Christians in many of the common and 
fashionable habits of our time, — habits which sustain a 
close relation to life and health, —but that it does demand 
of them changes from these injurious practices. If we 
succeed in doing this, it will be considered highly proper, 
by all Bible Christians, that the attention of the Christian 
public should be called to the subject of Bible Hygiene. 

“ God is love ; ” and his revealed will relates to man’s 
well-being in this life, as well as in that which is to come. 
Our heavenly Father does not take pleasure in the mis¬ 
eries of this mortal state. He delights in the happiness 
of obedient intelligences in this world, as well as in the 
rapturous joys of the redeemed in the world to come. 
The Bible teaches how to so live in this life as to pro¬ 
mote that health and happiness so favorable to the securing 
of eternal life. True godliness does not blindly overlook 
and stupidly neglect the laws of our present existence, 
and try to view (however dimly) the immortal state only. 
Godliness .is profitable unto all things. It gives promise 
of the life that now is, and also of that which is to 
come. 

The religion of the Bible was not intended simply as 
a garment to cover moral and physical impurities. It was 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


165 


designed to convert the entire man, — soul, body, and 
spirit, — that he might be pure without and within. That 
bogus piety which would give license to consecrated 
gluttony, devoted lust, and sanctified filthiness, is simply 
a burlesque upon the religion of the Bible. “ Wherefore 
come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith 
the Lord, and touch not the unclean ; and I will receive 
you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my 
sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having 
therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse 
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, per¬ 
fecting holiness in the fear of God.”* This is Bible re¬ 
ligion. This is true godliness. It proposes to elevate in 
this life, make fallen beings real men, pure without and 
within here, and glorified saints in the world to come. 

The record of man’s creation, the ample provisions 
made for his comfort, his glorious surroundings, — all these 
attest the love of God to created intelligences in this life. 
“ And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the 
ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ; 
and man became a living soul. And the Lord God 
planted a garden eastward in Eden ; and there he put 
the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground 
made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant 
to the sight, and good for food.” t 

Of all the creatures that God made, man was his best 
work. He was formed in the image of his Creator, and 
was made lord over the Creator’s works. Physically con¬ 
sidered, Adam must have been a noble being. “ God saw 
everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very 
good.” X In its highest sense, this was true of the first 
man, both intellectually and physically. From Adam to 
the flood the patriarchs each lived nearly a thousand 
years. And may we not suppose that the race has fallen 
off in size and physical strength, in proportion to the 
average length of life then and now ? Noah lived nine 
hundred and fifty years. For a time he and his sons 


*2 Cor. 6:17, 18; 7:1. 


t Gen. 2 :7-9. 


£Gen. 1 131. 


166 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


must of necessity have eaten flesh as food, and from that 
point of time the race rapidly declined in length of days. 
The original curse, with all its accumulated weight of 
transgression and violation of natural law, has bowed 
down the race, and caused man to dwindle to his present 
brief period of existence, marked with disease, decrepi¬ 
tude, and imbecility. 

With this view of the subject, we see Adam in Eden, 
standing in the glory of his manhood, a grand specimen 
of the perfect work of God. Earth has long since forgot¬ 
ten the grandeur, the beauty, the perfect symmetry, which 
characterized the first man before there fell upon him the 
blight of the curse. And there is so close a connection 
between matter and mind, that when we consider him 
intellectually, we are carried up in contemplation of what 
an intellect might have been, unaffected by the extremes 
incident to the curse and the depraving and depressing 
influence of continued transgression, until we are well- 
nigh lost in conjecture. We behold happy Adam, in holy 
Eden, walking and talking with God, the great originator 
of thought, and communing face to face with his Son and 
with the holy angels, the companion of the highest order 
of intelligences. 

Has man been progressing for six thousand years? — 
Verily, downward, downward! We have only to look 
back to our parents as they were in the strength of their 
noon of life, and to our grandparents as their still nobler 
frames were bowed with the weight of years, to be im¬ 
pressed with the fact that each successive generation 
suffers under greater physical feebleness than the one 
before it. This is especially true of American women. 
It has finally come to this, that by reason of artificial habits 
and in-door life, and the feebleness thus engendered, not 
one woman in ten, in our country, is capable of bearing 
well-developed offspring. 

And while we admit that, in the providence of God, 
the present is an age of discovery and invention, — and 
many of these things are a necessity to the very existence 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


167 

of this enfeebled generation, — we cannot but regard the 
popular idea of the increase of mental strength as at war 
with sound philosophy and the facts in the case. 

“But what will you do with the text,” says some old 
fogy, who has for a quarter of a century been dreaming 
of the golden age of mental progression, “ that declares 
that every generation grows weaker and wiser?” We 
reply that the Sacred Scriptures contain no such text. 
This saying can be found only among those maxims that 
are about one half true and the other half false. Facts 
compel us to admit the weakness of the present genera¬ 
tion, and seriously to question its superior wisdom. Those 
who have listened to the words of the eloquent Wendell 
Phillips, in his lecture upon the Lost Arts, must have 
been impressed with the fact that wisdom has not been 
especially reserved for the present generation. 

“ A sound mind in a sound body,” is a maxim worthy 
of a place in the writings of Moses, Solomon, or Paul. 
Natural and correct habits of life result in health, physi¬ 
cal force, mental clearness, and mental strength. Artificial 
and incorrect habits always tend to physical and mental 
enfeeblement. We call in question the sanity of those 
writers who blow hot and cold, in first representing that 
the bad habits of the present generation are ruinous to 
body and soul, to physical, mental, and moral strength ; 
and then, by way of change in the exercises, strike up 
the popular siren song of grand progression ! 

But we turn from the sad picture of degeneracy to 
contemplate again the first man. God in love created 
him to enjoy the delights of taste, and to feast the eye 
on the beautiful. To this end his senses were perfect. 
“And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow 
every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for 
food.” The God of the Bible is the author of all that 
is really beautiful; and we please him best when we, 
within proper limits, love that which he has made lovely. 
The great God has prepared a feast for the sight, as well 
as for the taste. We should provide for the proper grati- 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


168 

fication of both. The thousands who build large pig-pens 
and extensive hen-parks, and yet grumble over the labor 
and expense required to produce the sweet adornments of 
flowers, shrubs, and ornamental trees, are hardly within 
speaking distance of the Christian’s beautiful heaven. 
But, thank God, we may not only feast the eye with the 
beauties of nature, but by returning to more natural 
habits of eating and drinking, we may educate and re¬ 
store the appetite so as to enjoy much of the original 
delights of taste. 

Contemplating the good things which God has made 
for the happiness of men, and the present enjoyment 
which they may afford a sanctified sight and taste, we look 
back over six thousand years of transgression of divine 
and natural law, — during which time the curse has been 
rending the earth, man has been degenerating, and moral 
darkness, like the pall of death, has enveloped groaning 
creation, — and exclaim, What must have been the delights 
of Eden before sin entered ! 


FOOD, AIR, AND EXERCISE. 


The Bible was given for the well-being of man in this 
life, as well as a rule by which he may attain to immortal 
life. And the first grand hygienic rule laid down was that 
which prescribed man’s diet. God said to Adam, “Be¬ 
hold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which 
is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the 
which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed ; to you it shall 
be for meat.” * To every tree of the garden, excepting 
one, our first parents were to have free access, t 

The very general belief that the Bible sustains flesh¬ 
eating, swine’s flesh not excepted, makes it difficult to 
impress the minds of Christian men and women with the 
importance of adopting the vegetarian diet, until this false 
notion is removed. We are aware, however, that it is no 
small task to remove prejudice from minds, especially on 
subjects in which appetite is concerned. 

There are certain facts which have an important bearing 
upon the subject of flesh as an article of food. These we 
will briefly notice. 

It was not the plan of God in creation that the life of any 
of his creatures should be taken. Death, in man or beast, 
wherever it might exist, came in consequence of sin, and 
this whole mammoth custom of taking the life of God’s 
creatures to sustain human life, is simply the fruit of trans¬ 
gression. Had our first parents maintained their Eden 
innocence, had the curse never fallen upon man or beast, 
the earth would never have been stained with a drop of 
blood ; the almost universal custom of flesh-eating, with its 
attendant pain and death, would never have been known. 

The Creator, in definitely stating what should consti¬ 
tute food for man, did not mention flesh. If he had formed 
the human teeth to tear the flesh of animals, as some 


(169) 


* Gen. 1:29. 


t Gen. 2 :16, 17. 



170 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


urge, and designed that we should subsist largely upon 
animal food, flesh would have been at least mentioned in 
Adam’s bill of fare. The word meat , as used in the Bible, 
means simply food, and is so defined by the best author¬ 
ities. The American Tract Society’s Bible Dictionary 
says: “Meat, in the English Bible, usually signifies food, 
and not merely flesh. Gen. i : 29, 30 ; Matt. 15 : 37. So in 
Luke 24 : 41 : ‘ Have ye here any meat ? ’ literally, anything 
to eat ? The meat-offerings of the Jews were made of 
flour and oil. Leviticus 2.” William Smith, classical ex¬ 
aminer of the University of London, in his Dictionary of 
the Bible, says of the word meat: “It does not appear 
that the word meat is used in any one instance in the 
authorized version of either the Old or the New Testa¬ 
ment in the sense which it now almost exclusively bears of 
animal food. The latter is denoted uniformly by flesh 
Animal food, then, did not constitute any part of the bill 
of fare of the holy pair in Eden. As true as the book of 
Genesis, that first venerable gentleman, who lived nine 
hundred and thirty years, without either the dyspepsia or 
the gout, was a vegetarian. 

So far as we can learn from the sacred record, it was 
not until after the flood, a period of more than sixteen 
hundred years from the expulsion from Eden, that per¬ 
mission was given man to eat flesh. Its use had then 
become a matter of necessity. The waters of the flood 
had been upon the earth more than a year. By this 
time the patriarch’s stock of provisions must have been 
very low, and the desolated earth could furnish nothing 
until it could be produced from the seed preserved in the 
ark. In this state of things, God said to Noah, “ Every 
moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you ; even as 
the green herb have I given you all things.” * The very 
language of this permission conveys the idea that, up to 
that time, the green herb, or that which grew out of 
the ground, — vegetables, fruits, and grains, — constituted 
man’s diet. 

And certainly, judging from the sacred record, that 


* Gen. 9 :3. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


171 


was a time of remarkably good health. From Adam to 
Noah, a period of more than sixteen hundred years of 
vegetarian living, no mention is made of the sickness and 
death of children, of feebleness in youth or middle age, or 
of fevers, dyspepsia, gout, or consumption. All lived in 
the full enjoyment of health nearly one thousand years, 
or until the springs of life, at last grown weary, stood 
still. Obituary notices of that time do not mention local 
diseases, which in our day are caused by the breaking 
down of certain organs of the system while others remain 
strong. We read of no sufferings long drawn out, no 
excruciating agonies in death. The record simply gives 
the measure of each life, and its cessation. 

“ And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred 
and thirty years ; and he died.” 

“And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and 
twelve years ; and he died.” 

“ And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five 
years; and he died.” 

“ And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and 
ten years ; and he died.” 

“ And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred 
ninety and five years; and he died.” 

“And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty 
and two years ; and he died.” 

“And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred 
sixty and nine years; and he died.” 

“ And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred 
seventy and seven years; and he died.”* 

As the second hygienic principle in the ample provi¬ 
sion for man’s happy existence, we notice the natural 
beauties with which the Creator surrounded him. “And 
out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every 
tree that is pleasant to the sight.” + If after the three¬ 
fold curse on account of sin — first, that which followed 
the sin of Adam ; second, that which followed the first 
murder ; and, third, the terrible curse of the flood, which 
left a large portion of the earth’s surface in its present 

* See Genesis 5. t Gen. 2 :g. 


172 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


broken and barren condition — if after six thousand years 
of the blighting, dwindling, deforming influence of the 
curse, there remains real beauty in the trees, vines, shrubs, 
and flowers, — a beauty more exquisite than can be found 
in the finest works of art, — what must have been the 
grandeur and glory of the trees and flowers of Paradise, 
fresh from the hand of the Infinite Artist! 

And the Son of God, in addressing the “innumerable 
multitude,” pointed them to the delicate lily, declaring 
that “ Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one 
of these.” * The superiority of the works of nature over 
those of art, was not a matter of debate with the Son of 
God. A single lily in his day, from the soil which had 
long felt the blight and mildew of the curse, possessed 
more glory than Solomon in all his royal array. If this 
be true of a single lily of the field four thousand years 
from the original glory of creation, what must have been 
the delights of our first parents as they stood in Eden 
before sin had paralyzed their senses, or the curse had 
touched a single leaf! 

Man’s employment, as seen in the original design, is 
also worthy of notice. “The Lord God took the man, 
and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to 
keep it.” + Man was designed for activity in the open 
light of the sun and the free air of heaven. These con¬ 
ditions were important to the joys of his existence. The 
subsequent curse upon Adam was not in that he should 
labor, but that his labors should be attended with diffi¬ 
culties. J 

The natural habits of the people for the first generations 
after the fall were evidently conducive to longevity and 
health. There is no mention of houses until the flood. 
Before that event, and long after it, many of the people, 
at least, dwelt in tents. Hiding away from sunlight and 
pure air, behind closed doors, together with other artificial 
habits, has well-nigh ruined the race. None but those 
worthy of death, or the next thing to it — close confine¬ 
ment in prison — should be made to suffer such wretched 


* Matt. 6 : 29. 


t Gen. 2 :15. 


X Gen. 3 ; 17-19. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


173 


treatment. We admire that simple wisdom which said, 
“Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for 
the eyes to behold the sun.” * 

Proper exercise in the open air and genial sunshine, 
ranks among God’s highest and richest blessings to man. 
It gives form and strength to the physical organism, and, 
all other habits being equal, is the surest safeguard against 
disease and premature decay. Being man’s natural con¬ 
dition, it also gives buoyancy and strength to thought, 
and the mind maintains a healthful balance, free from 
the extremes resulting from artificial life. 

It is true that artificial habits, which are in almost 
everything wrong, have so far perverted and enfeebled 
our nature that we are ill-prepared to enter at once upon 
the natural habits of the worthy patriarchs. We cannot 
begin where they did. Something may be done, but it 
is vain to talk of regaining all that has been lost in 
size, strength, health, and length of days. For this, how¬ 
ever, we earnestly plead, that the spirit of reform in habits 
of life may get hold of the minds of sensible men and 
women, and that the rapid downward current may be 
checked. 

The tendency to feebleness and premature decay in 
American women, is too evident to admit of a doubt, 
and to no one thing is it so clearly traceable as to their 
habit of staying so closely in-doors. The aboriginal women 
of our country are as strong as the men. And why ? 
— Simply because their habits are so nearly like those of 
the men, — spending, as they do, so much of their time 
in the open air. This is also true, to a large extent, of 
European women who labor side by side with their hus¬ 
bands in the field. 

Every room, and especially every sleeping-room, in the 
house, should be well-ventilated throughout the year, both 
by day and by night. The amount of out-door air that 
should be admitted, must be regulated by its temperature, 
and by the ability of the inmates to endure. Every man, 
woman, and child should enjoy as much of God’s good 


* Eccl. 11:7. 


i?4 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


sunshine as the circumstances will possibly allow. Admit 
the light and air, friends, into your houses, and let these 
grand medicines, wisely mixed by our gracious God, make 
you strong, healthy, and happy. 

SWINE’S flesh. 

Among the creatures distinctly pointed out in the Bible 
as “ unclean,” the swine holds a prominent place, yet it 
has become a common article of food, even in civilized 
and enlightened nations. We speak particularly of the 
flesh of this animal because of its nature, and its common 
and abundant use by many Christians. These people 
profess to receive the word of God as a rule of faith and 
practice, and yet that very word says of the swine, “ It is 
unclean unto you. Ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor 
touch their dead carcass.” * If it be said that this prohibi¬ 
tion is Jewish, and therefore not binding upon Christians, 
we reply: — 

1. The distinction between the clean beasts and the un¬ 
clean, recognized at the flood, long before the existence of 
a Jew, was established upon the nature and habits of the 
creatures which God had made. This distinction received 
the sanction of law in the days of Moses; not, however, 
because God would have an arbitrary rule for the Jews 
during sixteen centuries, but because the forbidden things 
were of themselves unclean, and unfit for man to use as food. 

2. The nature of the swine is plainly given as the reason 
why the Hebrews should not eat of it, nor touch its dead 
carcass. “ It is unclean unto you!' With this agree the 
words of the prophet, which class swine’s flesh with the 
4 * broth of abominable things.” If it be said that these 
words were given through Jewish prejudice, then we reply 
that it is the great God that speaks. He changes not, and 
never speaks from prejudice. Hear him : — 

“ I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebell¬ 
ious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, 
after their own thoughts ; a people that provoketh me to 
anger continually to my face ; that sacrificeth in gardens, 

* Deut. 14: 8 . 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


*75 


and burneth incense upon altars of brick ; which remain 
among the graves, and lodge in the monuments ; which 
eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in 
their vessels.”* 

“For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with 
his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with 
fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and 
by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh ; and the 
slain of the Lord shall be many. They that sanctify 
themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens, behind 
one tree in the midst [margin, one after another], eating 
swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be 
consumed together, saith the Lord. ” t 

The candid reader, after a careful examination of the 
chapters from which we have quoted, will entertain doubts as 
to their application to the Jewish age. In fact, it is evident 
that they apply to the present age, and that the last quo¬ 
tation, with its threatened judgment for sins, such as eating 
swine’s flesh, applies definitely to the close of the present age. 

Dr. Adam Clarke once said that if he were to offer a 
burnt-offering to the devil, he should choose a pig stuffed 
with tobacco. At one time, when invited to ask the bless¬ 
ing at the table, he used these words : “ Lord, bless this 
bread, these vegetables and fruit ; and if thou canst bless 
under the gospel what thou didst curse under the law, 
bless this swine’s flesh.” 

God said of the flesh of swine in the days of Moses: 
“ It is unclean unto you.” What change can have taken 
place to make it clean, and a proper article of food for 
Christians ? Has God changed his mind on the subject ? 
Has man so changed that what was unclean as an article 
of food for the Hebrews has become clean to Christians ? 
Or, has the change taken place in the animal ? Has the 
change from the Jewish dispensation improved the nature 
of hogs ? And does the freedom of the world-wide proc¬ 
lamation of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ give liberty 
to Christians to eat those things which were an abomina¬ 
tion if eaten by the Hebrews ? 

* Isa. 65 :2 -4. + Isa. 66 :15-17. 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


176 

“ But did not God make the swine ? ” 

We reply that he did, and that he also made dogs r 
cats, rats, mice, and toads ; not, however, for Christians 
to eat. 

“Then for what were the swine made?” 

We may not fully understand why God made rats,, 
lizards, and rattlesnakes; but we are very grateful that 
we are not obliged to eat all the brutes and reptiles which 
cannot be definitely assigned to other uses. 

The influence of swine-eating upon the human system 
is in some cases terrible almost beyond description. The 
word scrofula , which represents a disease very prevalent 
in our day, the almost endless varieties of which may be 
named legion, comes from the Latin word scrofa , which 
signifies “a breeding sow,” the mother of abominations. 
And it may be a question whether the word, or the ter¬ 
rible disease signified by it, would have existed, had man 
never eaten swine’s flesh. 

The very nature and disposition of the swine accords 
with his gross habits and diseased flesh. We do not say 
that the moral evil of swine-eating is proportionate to the 
physical; but we do say that the very close connection 
between the physical and the mental, between matter and 
mind, would lead one to conclude that the physical ruin, 
would tend to debase the moral nature. 


DIET AND CLEANLINESS OF THE 
HEBREWS. 


In the record of God’s providential dealings with the 
race, the Hebrews hold a high rank. These descendants 
of the worthy patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were 
proud of the blood in their veins, and in the days of 
Christ were heard to say boastfully, “We have Abraham 
to our father.” * 

Abraham was a truly grand character. “ I know him,” 
says the great God, “ that he will command his children 
and his household after him.” t He is called the father of 
the faithful. The reason his children were to be in num¬ 
ber as the dust of the earth, or as the sand upon the 
sea-shore, or as the stars of heaven, is given thus : “ Be¬ 
cause that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, 
my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” X The 
secret of his moral greatness lay in the fact that he was 
true to principle, and possessed unlimited faith in God, 
and in his providential dealings with the faithful. 

There is much of thrilling interest in the sacred sketches 
of Isaac, of Jacob and his twelve sons, of the bondage of 
Joseph and his elevation in Egypt, and of the subsequent 
slavery of the Hebrews and their miraculous deliverance. 
God designed to do great things for his people ; hence it 
was his purpose, in his dealings with them, to restrict 
appetite, and to provide for them the most healthful food.. 

During centuries of slavery in a heathen land, the 
habits of the Hebrews had become more or less corrupted. 
And as their moral powers grew weak, in the same de¬ 
gree, appetite and passion grew strong. With a mighty 
hand, and with an outstretched arm, God led them from 
the land of servitude into the wilderness, where he pro¬ 
posed to reform them. Their wrong habits in Egypt 

♦Matt. 3:9. tGen. 18:19. $Gen. 26:4, 5. ( I 77 ) 



178 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


had made them irritable, and had disqualified them to 
endure the pangs of thirst, or the gnawings of perverted 
appetite. 

In their journeying they soon came to Marah. The 
water here was bitter, and a cry of murmuring ran 
through the host, “ What shall we drink ?" A certain 
tree cast into the waters made them sweet. This quieted 
the murmuring of the people for the time. The Lord 
u ‘ made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he 
proved them, and said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to 
the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which 
is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his command¬ 
ments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these 
diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyp¬ 
tians ; for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”* 

The candid reader will not fail to see that the gracious 
God of the Hebrews regarded the health of his people as 
a matter of great importance. He promised them health 
if they would obey him. Indeed, no fact appears more 
distinct in the sacred record than this, that in the great 
work of reforming them, and restoring them from wrong 
habits contracted in Egypt, — habits which affected the 
physical, the moral, and the spiritual nature, — God com¬ 
menced with the appetite. 

God did not propose to work miracles for the health of his 
people, while they were indulging habits injurious to health. 
He was soon to take the Israelites to the land he had 
promised them,— a second Eden, marred somewhat by the 
curse, — and to establish them there a healthy, happy, holy 
people. But before doing this, he would reform them in their 
dietetic habits, by taking them back, step by step, as near 
as possible to the purity of his original purpose when he 
provided the simple fruits, grains, and vegetables as the 
best food for man. 

Thirty days after the departure from Egypt, the He¬ 
brews were encamped in the wilderness of Sin, and there 
the circumstances of their position tested their trembling 
faith. It was evident that the chances for food were against 

* Ex. 15 : 24-26. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


179 


them, unless God should work a perpetual miracle. And 
the infidel question was murmured through the camp, 
“ Can God furnish a table in the wilderness ? ” The whole 
congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, 
“Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in 
the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, and 
when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought 
us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly 
with hunger.”* 

The case was an urgent one. Something must be done. 
The people must have food. The necessity of his people 
was God’s opportunity. Food came in abundance from 
heaven, and lay round about the camp. The God and Father 
of his people being judge in the case, he most certainly gave 
them that food which was best adapted to their wants. 
Well, did he send down to them cattle, sheep, swine, lob¬ 
sters, oysters, clams, eels, and the like, tea, coffee, and to¬ 
bacco ? This he could, and would, have done, if these 
were necessary to life and health. But none of these were 
given. What did the God of Israel provide as food for 
that vast host ? The following simple language gives the 
answer: — 

“ Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain 
bread from heaven for you ; and the people shall go out 
and gather a certain rate every day, that I may ^ prove 
them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.” * God 
was about to repeat his law in the hearing of all the people. 
Would they obey ? Their appetites and passions were 
such that their obedience was a matter of doubt. This, 
however, seems to have been established in the Divine 
Mind, that unless they could control appetite, they could 
not be controlled by law. God proposed to prove their 
moral power, and he did it by testing them on the point 
of appetite. 

From the description of the manna, one might safely 
conclude that it would be quite as disagreeable to a mor¬ 
bid taste as graham bread. Its shape, color, taste, and 
the manner in which it was prepared for food, are thus 

* Ex. 16 : 3, 4. 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


I So 

given : “ The manna was as coriander seed, and the color 
thereof as the color of bdellium. And the people went 
about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat 
it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of 
it; and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.” * 

It appears from the record that the people were not 
at first restricted to manna alone. In the morning they 
were to eat of the manna, and in the evening they were 
to eat of the flesh of quails. Whether flesh was given 
them once a day at first, that the change of their habits 
might be more gradual, or because of their frenzied mur- 
murings, may be a matter of debate. But at a later period 
they were restricted to manna alone, as the following 
statement shows : — 

“ The mixed multitude that was among them fell a 
lusting ; and the children of Israel also wept again, and 
said, Who shall give us flesh to eat ? We remember the 
fish which we did eat in Egypt freely ; the cucumbers, and 
the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic; 
but now our soul is dried away. There is nothing at all, 
besides this manna, before our eyes.”* God gave them 
flesh, not because it was best for them, but to teach them 
that he best knew their real needs. As other means of 
instruction had failed, he let them have their own way 
this tirne, to humble them, and bring them to submission. 

The leader of murmuring Israel was instructed to say 
to the people: “Ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in 
the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to 
eat ? for it was well with us in Egypt; therefore the Lord 
will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one 
day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor 
twenty days ; but even a whole month, until it come out 
at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you ; because 
that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and 
have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of 
Egypt?”* 

We are sometimes gravely informed by those knowing 
gentlemen who give their influence on the side of indulg- 

*Num. 11:7, 8, 4-6, 18-20. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


181 

ence of morbid taste, that the appetite indicates what is 
best adapted to the wants of the system. On the same 
ground, men may justify the drunkard, the opium inebriate, 
and the tobacco slave. Thousands are acting the glutton, 
and hastening to a wretched end, over this miserable un¬ 
truth. How terribly false it was in the case of the Hebrews! 

The great God, in his dealings with the Hebrews in 
the wilderness, not only restricted their diet to the simple 
manna, but he also taught them cleanliness. Both these 
restrictions were designed to promote health. Gluttony 
and filth are base companions; while temperance and 
cleanliness are congenial friends. 

The excellent maxim, “ Cleanliness is next to godliness,” 
is not found in the Scriptures, as many suppose, but in 
the Jewish Talmud. Yet he who reads the books of Moses 
attentively will not fail to observe that in those moral 
lessons which were given to the people through Moses, 
cleanliness holds a high rank among the acts preparatory 
to acceptance with God. 

When the Hebrews were about to assemble at the 
base of Sinai, to witness the grandeur of Jehovah as he 
should descend upon the mount, wrapped in a cloud of 
glory, to speak the ten precepts of his holy law, the fol¬ 
lowing was one of the preparations which the Lord directed 
Moses to make for the occasion : “ Go unto the people, 
and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them 
wash their clothes .” * This act of cleanliness, given so 
specifically in the sacred record, was one of importance. 
It was not commanded simply because our heavenly 
Father was pleased to see his children dressed in clean 
apparel; but it was to impress them with the purity of 
God, and to show them that he cared for their physical 
as well as their moral well-being. 

While the vast hosts of the Hebrews were in the wil¬ 
derness, it was necessary for their physical and moral good 
that they should be neat and cleanly in their common 
habits. The particulars of the command given them are 
recorded in Deut. 23 : 10-14. 


* Ex. 19:10. 


182 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


That holy God of the Hebrews, who could not view 
moral or physical impurities with complacency, is the 
Christian’s God. The death of his Son for the sins of men, 
and the world-wide proclamation of his glorious gospel, 
were never designed to give the idea that the Christian 
should be less particular and cleanly in the common habits 
of life than the Hebrew. Such habits were necessary to 
physical and moral health, and, from the very nature of 
the case, the same necessity exists in our time. 

It is the most degrading and miserable fanaticism 
to suppose that the freedom of the gospel consists in 
slovenly dress, in rough, clownish, irreverent words and 
actions, or in careless, filthy habits of life. It is painful 
to state that there is much which passes with certain 
classes as plain, humble religion, that is a living disgrace 
to the Christian name. This results from the erroneous 
idea that God has abolished the rules of cleanliness found 
in the books of Moses, and that the gospel frees us from 
their restraint. 

God is the same, yesterday, to-day, and forever. The 
same practical instructions which he gave to the Hebrews 
through Moses, for their physical and moral benefit, he 
also impressed upon the minds of the inspired writers of 
the New Testament. Paul exhorts his readers: “Where¬ 
fore come out from among them, and be ye separate, 
saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean ; and I will 
receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall 
be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” * 
Acceptance and heirship are the greatest blessings that 
God can offer on conditional promise to mortal men. Paul 
continues in the very next verse : “ Having therefore these 
promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all 
filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the 
fear of God.” In these impressive words the purity (or 
impurity) of the physical nature is connected with that of 
the moral nature. The one is dependent upon the other. 
Filthy habits tend to moral impurity. The man who ob¬ 
tains real purity of spirit, will be led to cleanly habits of 

* 2 Cor. 6:17, 18. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


83 


life. Cleanliness, health, and purity of spirit, are from the 
same source, and are priceless adornments of the Christian. 

God pity the poor! They labor under disadvantages, 
but they can be cleanly, neat, and orderly. While we 
admit that poverty, in some cases, tends to make people 
slack, disorderly, and filthy, we deny that this is necessarily 
the case. The log cabin, with its rude, scanty furniture, 
may show marks of tidiness, as well as the mansion of the 
wealthy. And the scanty clothing may be clean. Though 
patch may be put upon patch, all may show the rough 
beauty and cleanliness of a hand and heart moved by the 
true spirit of reform. 

But what can we say of the criminal carelessness of 
many professing Christians relative to their outhouses ? 
We know of no language that will fully meet the case. 
We may write the words unhealthful, pestilential, terrible, 
horrible ; but when compared with what the itinerant 
sometimes meets in August or September, such words 
really mean nothing. The sense of smell can sometimes 
recognize the existence of the poisonous, demoralizing 
abominations at a great distance. 

By means of improper food, bad water, and impure air, 
diseases are received into the system. The food and water 
may be pure, but if the air is corrupt, the system will be 
poisoned, and, sooner or later, sickness must follow. In 
our frequent tours in New England, and throughout the 
Middle and North-western States, we have visited many 
sick persons. When searching for the cause of their ill 
health, if we failed to trace it to heredity, or to improper 
diet or impure water, we have usually found it in a bad 
condition of the outhouses. Whole families are often pros¬ 
trated with fever, sometimes resulting in death to one or 
more of them, and yet the good people gravely and tear¬ 
fully talk of the mysterious providence of God that has 
caused so much sickness, and removed kindred and neigh¬ 
bors, when the chief cause is in their own yard. 

Often the barn and poultry yard are near the house, 
and the emanations from them, in connection with the 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


184 

vault usually found on the premises, are so foul that it is 
a wonder that any escape typhoid fever, which more fre¬ 
quently owes its origin to this cause than to all others. 
But what is worse, these abominations are sometimes so 
located that the drainage from them finds its way into the 
well. Among those so surrounded, health seems an im¬ 
possibility. If a vault is used, it should be far from the 
well, and not too near the house ; and dry earth or wood 
ashes, used as a covering, will absorb the foul emanations. 
The directions given to the Hebrews concerning cleanli¬ 
ness, show how careful God was that the camp should not 
become contaminated, and should lead us to the utmost 
care as to the healthfulness of our surroundings. 

We wish to arouse the people upon the subject of se¬ 
curing health, moral elevation, and happiness by providing 
themselves with the most healthful food, good water, and 
pure air. If they will do this, and be temperate in 
all their habits, they may give drugs to the dogs, save 
pain and money, and be able to say, “ I am well.” 

Personal cleanliness by proper bathing is not only a 
healthful luxury, but a virtue. Again we quote Paul, where 
he connects physical and moral cleanliness : “ Let us draw 
near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having 
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our 
bodies washed with pure water.” * The derivation of the 
word here rendered “ washed,” seems to have exclusive 
reference to washing from physical impurities. The effort 
of immersionists to press this text into the service of their 
mode of baptism, is an utter failure. Baptism by immer¬ 
sion does not wash the body. 

Another apostle says of Christian baptism, It is “ not 
the putting away of the filth of the flesh.” t The ex¬ 
pression of Paul, then, “ Having our hearts sprinkled from 
an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure 
water,” refers to moral and physical cleanliness. 

Between the altar of burnt-offering and the tabernacle 
of the congregation was the brazen laver, containing water 
in which the Jewish priests were to wash themselves before 


* Heb. 10:22. 


t 1 Peter 3 :21. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


i85 

putting on the pure linen garments, preparatory to enter¬ 
ing the sanctuary to minister before God, and it is dis¬ 
tinctly stated that they must do this ** that they die not.” 
Here we are again impressed with the purity of God, and 
how particular he was to instruct the Hebrews that clean¬ 
liness was, to say the least, closely connected with accept¬ 
able worship. 

Has the change of dispensations changed the character 
and mind of God in this respect ? Has the death of his 
Son given license to Christians to pollute their bodies and 
souls with filthy indulgences, which in the former dispen¬ 
sation would have been prohibited on pain of death ? — 
No! no! ! God is the same in all dispensations. And 
those moral teachings found in the books of Moses, which 
contain rules to secure cleanliness, justice, holiness, and 
the favor of God, are as changeless as the eternal throne. 


THE APPETITE IN HUMAN HISTORY. 


The history of the human appetite is indeed a sad 
one. The Creator designed that the appetite should be 
man’s servant, not his master. It was to be subordinate 
to the moral and intellectual faculties. This truth is seen 
in God’s first prohibitory declaration to man : “ Of every 
tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree 
of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of 
it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt 
surely die.”* 

God made man upright, and endowed him with powers 
of mind far above those of any other creature living upon 
the earth. He placed him upon probation, that he might 
form a character for the glory of the Creator, and for his 
own happiness. The first great moral lesson which the 
innocent pair of Eden were to learn, was self-control. 
God appeals to man’s nobler powers. He graciously gives 
him all he needs for the delights of taste, and for the 
support of life. And it was for man’s moral good, to 
say the least, that his eating from the tree of knowledge 
was prohibited. Of all the trees of the garden he might 
freely eat, save one. In this prohibition, the Creator places 
the appetite under the watchcare and guardianship of the 
moral and intellectual powers. 

When man came from the hand of his Creator, he was 
declared to be “ very good.” He was put upon probation, 
that he might develop a perfect character. But he failed 
to do this. He basely yielded to the tempter, and lost his 
innocence ; and the entire race, for six thousand years, 
have felt, in soul, body, and spirit, the taint of sin. The 
weight of accumulated guilt and ruin, resulting from con¬ 
tinual transgression of moral and physical law, has rested 
upon it. Sickness, pain, sorrow, and death are the legiti¬ 
mate fruits of transgression. 

(186) 


* Gen. 2:16, 17, 



BIBLE HYGIENE. 


18 / 

Man alone is responsible for the moral and physical 
wretchedness under which the race suffers. There was no 
necessity for Eve to yield to the tempter ; and Adam is 
quite as inexcusable. The surroundings of our parents in 
Eden were delightful. The Infinite Hand had spread out 
before them a feast of pleasure in the stately trees, the 
climbing vines, and the beautiful shrubs and flowers. Eden 
also abounded with that which was “ good for food.” God 
had caused every good fruit-tree to grow, affording variety, 
and an inexhaustible supply. He welcomed man to eat 
freely of them all, excepting one only ; but of the fruit of 
that one tree he warned him not to partake, on pain of 
death. Thus surrounded with beauty and plenty, and 
thus warned by the beneficent Author of his happy 
existence, man basely yielded, and plunged the race in 
consequent ruin. 

Eve was flattered with the idea that eating the for¬ 
bidden fruit would raise her to a higher and happier life. 
Appetite, curiosity, and ambition triumphed over reason. 
But Infinite Wisdom immediately devised the scheme 
of redemption, which placed man on a second probation, 
by giving him another trial, with the great Redeemer to 
help him in the work of forming a perfect character. 
And, to say the very least, it is reasonable to suppose 
that, in the second probation, men would be tested just 
where God tested our first parents in Eden, and that the 
indulgence of the appetites and passions would be the 
greatest moral evil in this world during the period of 
human probation. 

We are not left to mere supposition in forming an 
opinion upon this subject. The sacred record shows, in 
the clearest manner possible, that God has tested his people 
since the fall just where he tested man before the fall, 
and that among the most flagrant sins of the fallen race, 
resulting in the greatest amount of human woe, has been 
the indulgence of appetite. 

Gluttony and drunkenness were the prevailing sins of 
Sodom. It is said of the people of Lot’s time, “They did 


188 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


eat, they drank.”* Appetite ruled them, or their eating 
and drinking would not have been mentioned. For their 
sins they were visited with destruction by fire and brim¬ 
stone. It is also said of the people in the time of Noah, 
“They did eat, they drank.”* Gluttony and drunkenness 
led to other crimes, and to wash the world from its moral 
pollution, God poured upon it a flood of waters. 

For the first twenty-five hundred years after the fall, 
sacred history is exceedingly brief. For example, the life 
and wonderful translation of holy Enoch are told in a few 
lines. While, doubtless, the almost numberless good deeds 
and careful acts of obedience in the long life of this won¬ 
derful man would furnish to some modern writers material 
for volumes, the whole matter is summed up in these few 
words : “ All the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty 
and five years : and Enoch walked with God ; and he was 
not ; for God took him.” t 

We could not reasonably suppose that very much could 
be said upon any one subject when the annals of twenty- 
five hundred years, embracing many of the greatest events 
in the world’s history, are crowded into fifty short chap¬ 
ters of the Bible. But when God was about to establish 
the tribes of Israel in the good land of promise, that they 
should be to him “ a peculiar treasure” above all people, “ a 
holy nation,” the sacred historian speaks more fully, and 
again the fact appears that God tests his people since the fall 
just where he tested man before the transgression in Eden. 

In the providence of God the sons of Jacob went 
down into Egypt, where they sojourned in a strange land 
for hundreds of years. There they were humbled by 
slavery, but were delivered from it by the special hand 
of Providence, and in the most triumphant manner. The 
entire providential experience of the Israelites, both in 
their servitude and in their miraculous deliverance, was de¬ 
signed to lead them to revere, and trustingly obey, the 
God of their fathers. 

The history of their departure from Egypt, the parting 
of the Red Sea before them, and the destruction of their 


* Luke 17 :28, 27. 


t Gen. 5 : 23, 24. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


189 

pursuers, is one of thrilling interest to all Bible Christians. 
These manifestations were designed to remove their infi¬ 
delity, to draw them very near to God, and deeply to 
impress them with the fact that the Divine Hand was 
leading them. 

God brought another test upon them in the gift of the 
manna. The Lord said to Moses, “ Behold, I will rain 
bread from heaven for you ; and the people shall go out 
and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove 
them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.”* The 
habits of the Hebrews in Egypt had become such that a 
change to the simple manna was a very great one. But 
this change, God being judge of what was best for them, 
was necessary to their physical, mental, and moral well¬ 
being. God designed to bring a whole nation near to him¬ 
self, and give opportunity for the development of perfect 
character. He tested the Hebrews on appetite, as he did 
man in Eden, and murmuring and rebellion resulted. Had 
they proved faithful to God, he would have taken them 
through the wilderness in the brief period of eleven days, 
and would have triumphantly planted in the land of 
promise the mighty host of Israel, whom he had borne 
“ on eagles’ wings ” from Egypt. But they did not sustain 
the trial of their faith, and, in consequence of yielding to 
the clamors of appetite, they fell all along the way in the 
wilderness, so that only two of the adults who left Egypt 
were permitted to reach Canaan. I repeat it: the history 
of the human appetite is a sad one. 

We here leave the Old Testament record upon this 
subject, after noting that in the Jewish age there were 
men of God who controlled appetite, as did the holy 
Daniel, who refused to defile himself with the king’s meat 
and wine. Please read the first chapter of the history of 
this bold representative of pure hygiene. 

The mission of John the Baptist was to prepare the 
way for the first advent of Christ. In the address of the 
angel to Zacharias relative to John, there is a brief chap¬ 
ter on hygiene : “ Thou shalt have joy and gladness, and 


*Ex. 16:4. 


190 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in 
the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor 
strong drink.” * It is said of this plain, temperate, yet 
mighty man of God : “ The same John had his raiment 
of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; 
and his meat was locusts and wild honey.” + Some sup¬ 
pose that the prophet subsisted upon a sort of grasshopper 
diet, but this opinion may be seriously called in question. 
The following position seems to be sustained by good 
authority : — 

“ The locust was a fruit, a bean-like pod, with a seed 
in it similar to the Carob, or husk, on which the prodigal 
•son fed.” — Butterworth. 

“Locust, akris } Gr., may either signify the insect called 
the locust y which still makes a part of the food in the land 
of Judea, or the top of a plant. Many eminent commen¬ 
tators are of the latter opinion.”— Clarke. 

At the very opening of the Christian age, the mission 
of Jesus is heralded by John, who sets an example of 
self-denial and temperance. The teachings of our Lord 
Jesus Christ and his holy apostles are in perfect accord¬ 
ance with the proposition that God, in all dispensations 
of probationary time, tests man just where he tested 
the innocent pair in Eden. “Take heed to yourselves,” 
said the Son of God, “lest at any time your hearts be 
overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of 
this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”* 
And the words of Paul, addressed to the Christian church, 
make proper eating and drinking a matter of grave im¬ 
portance : “ Whether, therefore, ye eat, or drink, or what¬ 
soever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”:); The apostle 
argues in another place, that if there were no resurrection 
of the dead, there would be no future existence, and his 
laborious and abstemious life would bring him no future 
reward. He says, “What advantageth it me, if the dead 
rise not? let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die.”J 
However much the apostle regarded it important to live 
temperately in order to a life of usefulness and happiness 


* Luke 1:14, 15 ; 21:34. 


% 1 Cor. 10:31; 15 132. 


t Matt. 3 14. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


191 

here, it is evident that he looked forward to the resurrec¬ 
tion of the dead for the great reward of self-control. He 
says, in another place, “I keep under my body, and bring 
it into subjection ; lest that by any means, when I have 
preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” * 

But many of the professing Christian churches of this 
day treat this matter as though God had become discour¬ 
aged in trying to lead men and women to a life of self- 
denial and self-control, and had changed his plan, no 
longer testing them upon the point of appetite, as for¬ 
merly. 

It is a humiliating fact that the moral powers of the 
majority of those who profess to be true followers of 
Christ, have become so far weakened by the indulgence 
of appetite and passion, that the most successful way to 
move them to acts of benevolence is through appeals to 
the appetite. Hence the almost universal custom of hold¬ 
ing church festivals. These gluttonous feasts strengthen 
morbid appetite and inflame passion, and in the same 
degree weaken the moral powers, and benumb the finer 
sensibilities of the soul. The slave of appetite is moved 
less by such worthy and stirring considerations as the 
glories of the eternal world, the reward of philanthropic 
deeds in this life, and the final righteous retributions of 
a just God, than he is if treated with roast turkey, oysters, 
ice-cream, and the like. These charm his soul, and ap¬ 
parently open the closed avenues to his feelings of benevo¬ 
lence and to his purse, — a result which the worthy con¬ 
sideration of heaven, earth, and hell failed to produce. 

If God is now testing professed Christians upon appetite, 
as he tested Adam and Eve and the Hebrews, then the 
case, with the exception of a decided minority, is a lost 
one. With the majority, the moral and intellectual 
powers are the servants, while the appetite is master. 
This was the condition of our first parents as they stood 
in Paradise lost, — the condition of the Hebrews who 
perished in the wilderness under the wrath of God. And in 
the light of the Scriptures these modern epicures are not 

* 1 Cor. 4': 27. 


192 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


walking in the favor of God any more than were the per¬ 
ishing Hebrews, or Adam and Eve when they coveted the 
fruit which God had forbidden. 

There are multitudes who are slaves to the expensive, 
health-destroying, filthy habit of tobacco-using. Ninety- 
nine out of one hundred of these will acknowledge the 
evils of the practice. Then why not abandon the use of 
tobacco ? — Simply because the nobler powers are enslaved 
by appetite. We have not a word of censure for men 
who call in question the piety of those professed followers 
of Christ who are controlled by appetite and passion. 
Such do not truly represent the religion of the Bible. 
The religion of our Lord Jesus Christ is entirely another 
thing. The Redeemer of the world was tempted on all 
points as we are, yet without sin. When tested in the 
wilderness, he conquered, not on his own account, but for 
us. And Christians are to overcome as he overcame. 
That our adorable Redeemer might be able to succor his 
tempted followers, and help them to overcome, he, in the 
forty days’ fast in the wilderness, endured the keenest 
pangs of appetite. In him it is possible for the glutton, 
the drunkard, and the poor inebriate of every stamp, to 
overcome. With those who are ruled by appetite, and 
who have not the help of Christ, the work of reform is 
exceedingly doubtful. And we can hardly conceive of 
anything more insulting to Heaven, than the profession of 
the pure religion of the divine Son of God by men whose 
reason and conscience are ruled by appetite and passion. 


THE POWER OF APPETITE. 


God designed that the appetite should be man’s serv¬ 
ant. When controlled by the moral and intellectual pow¬ 
ers, it is one of God’s blessed gifts ; but when it becomes 
master, it is a debasing tyrant, crushing out of man that 
which is noble and God-like. 

We go back in imagination over long ages, until we 
stand amid the glories of Eden before sin entered, and 
there we meet the painful fact that one of the weakest 
points in the character of Adam and Eve, while in all 
the perfection of manhood and womanhood, was the 
appetite. Their failure to exercise self-control upon this 
point — together with their curiosity and ambition — led 
to their fall. As the consequent moral darkness and 
downward tendency increased with each successive gen¬ 
eration, the reign of appetite became more debasing and 
supreme. If appetite could move our first parents to an 
act of base disobedience, what must be its power over 
men and women of the nineteenth century, in whose 
physical, mental, and moral nature the taint of the fall 
still exists, with all the aggravations which have been 
acquired since Adam and Eve passed out of the gate of 
Paradise ? 

It is true that among the patriarchs and prophets were 
men who walked with God, and were the masters, not 
the slaves, of appetite, — like Daniel and his friends, who> 
refused to defile themselves with the king’s meat and wine. 
The apostles treat of Christian temperance in a most 
pointed manner. The apostle Paul says that “ every man 
that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things,” 
and then adds, by way of application to the Christian life, 
“ I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, 

il (193! 



194 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, 
I myself should be a castaway.”* 

We live in an age remarkable for Bibles, the Sacred 
Scriptures now being read in two hundred and fifty-two 
languages and dialects ; and yet there has probably never 
been a time when the people of Christian lands have been 
more completely under the rule of appetite. The gospel 
is preached everywhere. The present is said to be an age 
of wonderful light and gospel liberty ; but unfortunately, 
the gospel as too often preached in our time hardly touches 
the appetites and passions of men. And why should it, 
when so many of the teachers of religion do not feel 
called upon to renounce wine and tobacco or to restrain 
appetite ? 

Many temperance men, with the waning cause of tem¬ 
perance as it relates to intoxicating drinks on their hands, 
are feeling that but little can be done in reforming drunk¬ 
ards, or in restraining young men from becoming such, 
while they indulge in the use of tobacco. The only way 
to cure men of the love of whisky is to restore the appetite 
to its natural state. And this can never be done while 
the common and free use of tobacco, tea, and coffee is 
continued. The only way to make real temperance men, 
is to teach the people to abandon all unnatural habits, 
and to use only those things which God designed for the 
use of man, and these in their natural state, as far as 
possible. 

One has only to reflect a moment in order to be over¬ 
whelmed with astonishment at the unnatural, expensive, 
debasing habit of tobacco-using. We need not say that 
it is a filthy habit. If tobacco-chewers would only swallow 
that which is so sweet in their mouths, instead of spit¬ 
ting it out to the annoyance of cleaner people, their path 
would be less offensive; but instead they eject on the 
street, in public places, and on the cars, that which is 
extremely odious to all who are not initiated in the dis¬ 
gusting habit. 

* i Cor. 9 :25, 27. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


195 

The habit is unnatural. Not one lad in a thousand 
liked tobacco when he first tasted it. And more than 
this, most boys suffer a terrible sickness, and pass a severe 
struggle* in taking their first lesson in tobacco-using. Then 
why do they form a habit so unnatural and disgusting ? 
But one answer can be given : The habit is made respect¬ 
able by judges, lawyers, ministers, doctors, and men of all 
ranks, and their influence is pressing our dear boys, with 
few exceptions, into this terrible vice. And these men, 
especially those who profess to be Christ’s ambassadors, 
will have to answer for the result of their influence in the 
final settlement of the Judgment. 

Nine hundred and ninety-nine of every one thousand 
tobacco inebriates would be glad to rid themselves of the 
habit; but they have become slaves to appetite, and have 
not the moral courage to persevere in that self-denial, and 
pass through that suffering, necessary to master the vice. 
We are not writing the condition of the few only. It is 
a painful fact that a majority of the men of our time 
have surrendered to the debasing rule of the appetite 
for tobacco. 

“ I know it is a filthy, expensive, and hurtful practice,” 
said a minister, “ and I would give three hundred dollars 
to be rid of tobacco ; but the habit is formed, and I can¬ 
not overcome it.” Officers were not wanting in our armies, 
during the late American war, who could lead their men 
into the hottest fight without the quiver of a muscle, and 
yet had not courage enough to break off the habit of 
tobacco-using. It is the mind that makes the man. Just 
in proportion as appetite and passion grow strong by 
excessive indulgence, the intellectual and moral powers 
are enfeebled. And in the same proportion as the moral 
and intellectual are strengthened by self-denial, healthy 
conditions are restored, morbid appetite is dethroned, and 
the chains fall off from the enslaved victim. 

The restraints of the Sacred Scriptures, and the self- 
denial especially taught therein, are wanted to save men 
from the controlling power of appetite. The sentiments 


196 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


uttered by Christ and his apostles upon this subject are 
the purest of the pure : — 

“ If any man will come after me, let him deny him¬ 
self.” — Jesus. 

“ Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh 
and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” — Paul . 

“Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the 
soul.” — Peter. 


APPETITE CONTROLLABLE. 


The power of perverted appetite has been dwelt upon 
quite fully in the preceding chapter. Now it remains to 
be shown how the tyrant may be conquered. For it is 
possible for the appetite to be brought fully under the 
control of reason and conscience. The reclaimed drunk¬ 
ard, and those who have been emancipated from the 
slavery of tobacco, tea, and coffee, may shout greater vic¬ 
tories than can the general who leads his troops through 
the most successful battles. An inspired proverb reads, 
“ He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; 
and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.” * 
It may be said with equal truth and force, He that con¬ 
quers perverted appetite is truly greater than he that 
conquers armies. 

Difficult as the task may be, a morbid appetite can be 
restored to a normal condition. As it is by indulgence 
that appetite gains the mastery, so it is only by rigid 
abstinence that it can be conquered and made man’s serv¬ 
ant. As in the one case indulgence is the cause, and 
the debasing rule of appetite the result; so in the other 
case abstinence is the redeeming cause, and natural ap¬ 
petite (controlled by reason and conscience), health, and 
happiness are the glorious result. But the man of strong 
habits, who undertakes to grapple with and conquer his 
appetite for fashionable indulgence, may as well under¬ 
stand at the very start that he has a hard battle to fight; 
and he should count the cost, lay well his plans, and nerve 
himself for the contest. 

And there is a very important fact which we wish 
here to state for the encouragement of those who feel 
the need of reforming in habits of life, and who at 
the same time dread the difficulties in the way, and the 
suffering they may have to endure. It it this: Proper 
* Prov. 16:32. (197) 



198 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


abstinence will soon give them complete victory; and 
when this is gained, when simple and natural habits have 
been established, the delights of taste and the pleasures 
of existence will far exceed the so-called enjoyments found 
in a gross and unnatural life of hurtful indulgence. 

When the drunkard leaves his cup, he suffers inex¬ 
pressible physical and mental agony until by continued 
abstinence and proper habits the fire dies out of his blood 
and brain, and nature restores order. This accomplished, 
the reformed inebriate has lost his love for liquor, and 
feels that he is a man again. It is not to be questioned 
that the man who satisfies his depraved cravings for 
whisky, feels a momentary pleasure in indulgence; but 
the enjoyments of existence, with him whose habits are 
natural and healthful, are almost infinitely greater than 
with him who is ruled by morbid appetite, and who sur¬ 
renders to the momentary pleasure found in its gratifi¬ 
cation. 

Here are facts of the greatest importance ; and they 
are not only in harmony with natural law, but are sus¬ 
tained by the happy experience of many a reclaimed 
drunkard. It is difficult to make the drunkard, even in 
his soberest hours, see and feel the force of these facts. 
His friends may wish to help him ; but he alone must 
fight the battle with appetite, or he can never enjoy the 
victory. The higher powers of his mind are benumbed 
and enfeebled, having been surrendered to the rule of 
appetite. He, however, decides to make the effort to 
reform, and abstains from liquor for a few days. He is 
in agony ; and feeling no assurance that, if he perseveres, 
the period of his suffering will be brief, he is in danger 
of yielding to the erroneous idea that abstinence dooms 
him to a life-long period of mental and physical agony. 
Oh to get across this, to him, impassable gulf! The fields 
of delight which lie beyond, he cannot now see ; but when 
fairly across, he may shout victory in the midst of the 
natural and healthful pleasures of an almost new existence. 
This is one of the greatest triumphs that mortal man can 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


199 

achieve, and one long step toward heaven. Yet such a 
victory can be won. 

What has been said in the case of drunkenness is 
equally true of tobacco inebriety. The appetite for tobacco 
will continue so long as the tobacco poison remains in the 
system. When the system has been freed from tobacco 
by abstinence and hygienic treatment, the appetite will 
cease. Boys have a natural dislike for tobacco, but this 
they overcome by its use. When their blood becomes 
thoroughly poisoned, the collision between nature and 
tobacco ceases. Completely eradicate tobacco from the 
human system, restore the taste to a natural and health¬ 
ful condition, and tobacco will be as offensive to its eman¬ 
cipated slave as to the youth before he took the poison 
into his blood. 

Let no one try to overcome the appetite for tobacco 
by the long, tedious, murderous process of “ leaving off by 
degrees.” Victory is seldom, if ever, gained in this way. 
Total abstinence is the only sure course. Hygienic 
treatment is of great benefit to those who find this a 
difficult task. In order to obtain a speedy and certain 
victory, the poison should be taken from the blood as 
soon as possible. Water treatment will do this at a rapid 
rate. We have left tobacco invalids packed in the wet 
sheet forty minutes, and when they were taken out the 
scent of tobacco so pervaded the room as to be sensible 
to the taste, and the sheet itself was discolored. 

What has been said about the liquor and the tobacco 
habit is true, in the main, in the case of those addicted to the 
use of tea and coffee. Total abstinence is the only remedy. 
When these habits are overcome, and restoration, so far 
as possible, to natural conditions takes place, whisky, to¬ 
bacco, and tea and coffee sicknesses, in their many forms, 
will cease. For example, there are thousands of women 
in our country who once drank strong tea to cure the 
headache, and it did give them temporary relief; but at 
the same time it laid the foundation for more severe 
headache. Now they use neither tea nor coffee, and can 


200 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


bear the joyful testimony that when they had by absti¬ 
nence overcome their desire for tea, their headache also 
disappeared. 

Those on our side of the question, who have passed 
through the struggle against the clamors of morbid ap¬ 
petite, and have gained the victory, can appreciate this 
view of the subject. Those on the other side must pass 
over to us, and work out their own experience before 
they can fully understand the matter. 

And right here is where the subject of hygienic reform 
•meets one of its greatest obstacles. It is difficult for those 
under the control of appetite to see anything in the 
reform but privation and starvation. They sit down to a 
hygienic dinner,—without flesh-meats and highly seasoned 
gravies, — where all the food is, so far as possible, in its 
natural state, and are disgusted with its tastelessness. 
They pity us who live upon this diet, and, judging by 
their own condition of taste, are grieved that we are 
starving ourselves. But the very dinner they despise, we 
>enjoy with the keenest relish, and do it liberal justice. 

To us who have become accustomed to a simple, un¬ 
stimulating diet, it would be painful to sit down to a 
fashionable dinner and partake of highly seasoned flesh- 
meats. The very spices, salt, vinegar, pepper, mustard, 
and pickles that would delight a fashionable taste, would 
be very unwelcome to ours. The great difficulty in this 
subject is, that those who differ with us cannot understand 
the matter fully until they have, through their own ex¬ 
perience, come all the way over to our side of the 
question. 

To all hygienic reformers I would say, Live up strictly 
to the convictions of your own enlightened mind. Be not 
•led into indulgence by the entreaties of friends. Live 
idle reform at home ; and when you go abroad, carry it 
with you. Live it, and at proper times, in proper places, 
and in a proper manner, talk its principles. Never let 
the opposition or the kind entreaties of friends, gain 
ground on you. Ever hold on your way, and by all 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


201 


proper means labor to impress those around you with the 
importance of the subject. 

A few words to those who are making changes: If 
you make them all at once, be sure to make a correspond¬ 
ing change in your mental or physical labor. If your cir¬ 
cumstances are such that you cannot greatly lessen your 
labor for a while, or spend a few months at a sanitarium, 
you should, in matters of diet, make the changes grad¬ 
ually. But do not forget to change. As you prize health 
and the favor of God here, and a happy existence in 
his presence in the next world, turn from the violation of 
natural law. Let it be your study and constant effort to 
bring your habits of life more and still more into har¬ 
mony with the laws instituted by the beneficent Author 
of your being. 


THE GOSPEL OF HEALTH. 


“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me 
in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down 
with my Father in his throne.”* This text presents two 
grand themes, — overcoming, and the victor’s reward. 
The magnitude and importance of the work of over¬ 
coming are measured by the value of the reward pre¬ 
sented. The human mind cannot conceive a reward of 
greater value than that here offered. It is to be exalted 
to the throne of the Son of God, when he shall reign 
King of kings and Lord of lords. Christ will then wear 
his kingly crown, and the overcomer will also wear 
a crown. Christ will reign, and the overcomer will reign 
with him. This reign of peace, of exaltation, of glory, 
in which the overcomer is to participate, will continue 
throughout the ceaseless rounds of eternal ages. And all 
this glory is presented to us as an inducement to engage 
earnestly in the great work of overcoming. 

Christians generally have a very indefinite idea of what 
it is to overcome, in the sense of the text. With few 
exceptions, they seem never to think that it has reference 
to self-control, and especially to the complete control of 
appetite. Hence, professing Christians eat fashionable 
viands, smoke, chew, and snuff tobacco, drink tea and 
coffee, become gluttons and drunkards, and thus defile 
the temple of God, + simply to gratify depraved appetite. 
And many of these Christians, doubtless, regard the work 
of overcoming as very nearly summed up in mastering 
their embarrassment in speaking and praying in public, 
and saying grace over their fashionable tables. God pity 
them! 

The text, however, gives a definite idea, in plainest 
terms, of what it is to overcome,— “even as I also over¬ 
came.” Men and women are to overcome as Christ 

( 202 ) * Rev. 3: 21, 1 1 Cor. 3 :17. 



BIBLE HYGIENE. 


203 


overcame. When we are able to comprehend the temp¬ 
tations and victories of the Son of God, we shall have a 
definite idea of what it is to overcome. The subject of 
Christ’s overcoming, may be discussed under three propo¬ 
sitions : — 

1. The Son of God did not overcome on his own 
account. He was not a sinner. He “was in all points 
tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” The divine 
Son of God was so far a partaker of our nature as to 
feel our woes and suffer for our sins, yet in him was no 
sin, and his overcoming was not for himself. 

2. The work of overcoming on the part of the Son of 
God was on account of our sins. The temptations he 
suffered and the victories he gained, were to enable him 
to succor mortal men and women suffering under the 
weakness of the flesh, and beset with strong temptations. 
The apostle speaks definitely on this point: “For it be¬ 
came Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are 
all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make 
the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” 
“ Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made 
like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and 
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make 
reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he 
himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succor 
them that are tempted.” “For we have not a High 
Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our 
infirmities ; but was in all points tempted like as we are, 
yet without sin.”* The divine Redeemer was subjected 
to the fiercest temptations, passed through the most fearful 
struggles, and gained victories the most glorious, that he 
might redeem man from the ruin of the fall, the weak¬ 
nesses of the flesh, and the temptations of the devil. 

3. As the Captain of our salvation, Christ has led the 
way in the work of overcoming. And in order that he 
might succor the tempted, he has been tempted in all 
points as we are. This was not for his own benefit, but 
for our good. Therefore our temptations are, in kind, 

* Heb. 2 :10, 17, 18 ; 4 :15. 


204 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


just what the Son of God endured; and the victories 
which we must gain in overcoming, are, in kind, just what 
the Son of God experienced when he overcame. This 
proposition is most fully sustained by the clause, “as I 
also overcame,” found in our text. Having clearly before 
the mind the idea that the divine Redeemer, as the Cap¬ 
tain of our salvation, has led the way, subjecting himself 
to the very temptations and self-denial which his followers 
must experience in order to be redeemed by his blood, 
let us consider the temptations of the Son of God, and 
the circumstances under which he overcame. 

Immediately after his baptism in Jordan, “Jesus was 
led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the 
devil.”* The record of another evangelist reads, “Imme¬ 
diately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And 
he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of 
Satan, and was with the wild beasts.” + Another evan¬ 
gelist gives the facts of the temptations of Christ in still 
another form, “Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned 
from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 
being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those 
days he did eat nothing.” X 

The Holy Spirit led the Son of God into the wilder¬ 
ness, to be tempted of the devil. This was a part 
of the great plan necessary to the salvation of sinners. 
The temptation must occur as truly as the crucifixion, 
the resurrection, the ascension, or the second advent. 
The crucifixion of Christ and his intercession for sinners 
are subjects of very common and popular discussion in the 
pulpit and by the religious press ; but the temptation of 
Christ in the wilderness, though holding an important 
place in the great plan, is passed over as having little 
more significance than if it were an accidental occurrence, 
— as if Christ chanced to be in the wilderness just then, 
and Satan seized upon the opportunity to annoy him. 
But mark well the strong expression of Luke : “Jesus being 
full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led 
by the Spirit into the wilderness.” 


* Matt. 4 : x. 


t Mark i : 12, 13. 


X Luke 4:1, 2. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


205 


There in the wilderness, wild, barren, and dreary, the 
Son of God endured the first of the three great temptations 
that represent the leading temptations to which the fallen 
race is exposed. For want of space, I can here dwell 
only on this first temptation, which relates to appetite. 
Satan urged Christ to work a miracle by changing stone 
to bread to satisfy the pangs of hunger after the fast of 
forty days. Christ resisted the temptation. The Saviour’s 
long fast, the temptations under the peculiar circumstances, 
and the victory gained, were not only a part of the great 
plan by which Christ became the Redeemer of the lost 
race, but they were designed to present an example full 
of encouragement to those who have still to struggle 
against the power of appetite. 

The grandest thought in all the range of revealed 
theology is, that Christ in his life on earth was tempted 
on all points as mortal men are, in order that he might 
be “ able to succor them that are tempted.” In that long 
fast in the wilderness, our Saviour endured the keenest 
pangs of hunger, in order to save sinners lost by indulgence 
of appetite, — that his arm might reach to the depths of 
wretchedness and weakness, even of the poor glutton and 
the miserable drunkard. 

The Redeemer, both divine and human, as an over¬ 
comer in our behalf, stood in the very position where 
Adam’s failure plunged the race into ruin. Christ endured 
the very test under which Adam failed. He took hold of 
redemption just where the ruin began, and succeeded in 
carrying out the plan. 

The subject is truly grand. At thought of these things, 
there kindles in the soul the most ardent love, and the 
deepest reverence for our all-conquering King. He over¬ 
came on our account. He leads the way in suffering, 
mental agony, victory, and triumph, and bids us follow 
in self-denial and everlasting glory. We hear from him 
by way of Patmos, saying, “To him that overcometh will 
I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also 
overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” 


206 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


Mark well these vital points on this subject: — 

1. Christ did not overcome on his own account, but 
for us. 

2. His temptations and victories were to enable him to 
succor his tempted people. Therefore,— 

3. His temptations were in kind just what his people 
must meet and overcome. 

The victory of our triumphant Head over the most 
subtle temptations during his forty days’ fast, and the 
glorious promise of reigning with him in his throne, on 
condition that we overcome as he overcame, establish the 
fact that one of the highest attainments in the Christian 
life is to control appetite, and that, without this victory, 
all hope of heaven is vain. 

Is there suffering and self-denial in the work of over¬ 
coming ? The Christian will joyfully welcome these, in 
view of heirship to the eternal throne and the crown of 
glory. “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.” “But 
rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; 
that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad 
also with exceeding joy.” * 

* 2 Tim. 2:12; 2 Peter 4:13. 


REDEMPTION. 


To redeem is to purchase back from sale or from 
slavery ; to deliver from the bondage of sin or its pen¬ 
alties. God proposed to redeem the fallen race through 
the sacrifice of his Son. This great redemption is three¬ 
fold : First, from the condemnation and practice of sin ; 
secondly, from the grave ; and thirdly, from the disgrace 
of the fall. 

i. Redemption from the condemnation and practice of 
sin. “ Sin is the transgression of the law.” * The apostle 
doubtless refers particularly to the moral code ; yet the 
transgression of any law established by our beneficent 
Creator to govern our actions, is sin. Said the angel, 
referring to the Redeemer, “ Thou shalt call his name 
Jesus ; for he shall save his people from their sins.” + The 
mission of the Son of God was to save man from, not 
in, the transgression of law. 

Man fell- under the power of appetite. The Redeemer 
set his people an example of self-denial, and he says to 
them, “ Whosoever will come after me, let him deny him¬ 
self, and take up his cross, and follow me.” t But what 
of those who profess to be followers of Jesus, but are 
really drunkards and gluttons ? How does the Master 
esteem those who gratify appetite without regard either 
to expense or to the physical and moral influence of such 
a course upon themselves and their children ? Ministers 
and people, clergy and laity, chew, smoke, and snuff the 
“ filthy weed,” simply because it produces, for the time 
being, a pleasant sensation. They pollute their breath, 
their blood, their clothes, their dwellings, and the atmos¬ 
phere of even their places of worship, to gratify morbid 
taste. Slaves to tobacco ! The moral and intellectual in 
servitude to the animal! The Protestant, church-going 
people of America pay out more money annually for 


* i John 3 14. 


t Mark 8 :34. ( 207 ) 


t Matt. 1:21. 



20 8 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


tobacco, tea, and coffee, to poison their blood, than for 
the gospel of Jesus Christ, to purify their lives. Professed 
Christians will yield to the clamors of appetite for lux¬ 
uries and indulgences which stupefy their higher powers 
and strengthen the baser passions, and at the same time 
they will talk piously of the self-denial and cross of the 
Christian life! This certainly falls but little short of a 
burlesque upon the Christian religion. In the words of 
Charles Beecher, “ O unhappy church of Christ! fast rush¬ 
ing round and round the fatal circle of absorbing ruin ! 
Thou sayest, ‘ I am rich, and increased in goods, and have 
need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art poor, and 
miserable, and blind, and naked’!” 

“Know ye not,” says Paul, “that ye are the temple of 
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ? If any 
man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy ; for 
the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”* Again 
the apostle appeals to the church at Corinth in these 
words : “ Beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthi¬ 
ness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear 
of God,” f 

To those, and to those only, who by self-control turn 
from a life of excess, and choose a life of self-denial and 
purity, will the atoning blood of Christ be applied. It is 
said of the numberless hosts of the saved, that they 
“ washed their robes, and made them white in the blood 
of the Lamb.”J The robes of character were not given 
to them for the occasion, to hide their sins. No; they 
washed their robes. 

Some of the rich blessings which it is the privilege of 
Christians to enjoy in this life are mentioned in these 
stirring, triumphant words of Paul: “ That ye might be 
filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and 
spiritual understanding ; that ye might walk worthy of the 
Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work,, 
and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened 
with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all 
patience and long-suffering with joyfulness; giving thanks, 

* i Cor. 3 :16, 17. + 2 Cor. 7:1. J Rev. 7 :14. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


209 


unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be par¬ 
takers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who 
hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath 
translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son ; in whom 
we have redemption through his blood, even the forgive¬ 
ness of sins.”* 

And the beloved John declares the message that “God 
is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” “ If we walk 
in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one 
with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son 
cleanseth us from all sin.” t The Redeemer, in over¬ 
coming, set an example of self-control to his followers, 
and then closed his life of disinterested benevolence by 
death on the cross. Here is seen his matchless love for 
sinners. Those who deny themselves, who overcome as 
he overcame, and by faith wash their robes of character 
and make them white in his blood, may sing of redeeming 
power and love here, and they will find eternal ages none 
too long to swell the happy strain, “ Worthy, worthy is 
the Lamb ! ” 

2. The redemption from the grave, by the resurrection 
to immortal life, of all who are in this life redeemed from 
the condemnation and practice of transgression, is the 
second stage in redemption. It is in this life that we 
obtain a moral fitness for the next. The change to 
immortality is not a moral change ; it is simply an ex¬ 
change of the corruptible body for one that is incorrupt¬ 
ible. This second stage in the Redeemer’s stupendous, 
achievement of man’s redemption, is expressed by the 
apostle thus : “ Who shall change our vile body, that it 
may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.” J 

3. The redemption of the righteous from the disgrace 
of transgression completes the work of the Redeemer. 
The redeemed are then on higher and safer ground than 
that on which Adam stood before his fall. In the estima¬ 
tion of God, of Jesus, angels, and all created intelligences 
in the universe, they stand the same as if our first 
parents had not disgraced themselves and their children 

* Col. 1:9-14. ti John 1:5.7. t Phil. 3:21. 

14 


210 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


by yielding to the power of appetite. The Redeemer has 
borne their sin and shame, and has accepted, in his own 
sinless person, the punishment due them. Man’s failure 
to form a righteous character was complete. Jesus took 
man’s place, and endured the test; his success in working 
out a righteous character in man’s behalf, is as complete 
as was Adam’s failure. To those who, in a life of self- 
denial and self-control, have by faith followed their tri¬ 
umphant Head, the righteousness of Christ is imputed. 
In their Saviour the redeemed lose all their shame and 
disgrace. Not only will they then stand complete in the 
purity of their own robes of character, which they have 
washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb, but 
they will shine with the brighter luster of the divine 
righteousness and eternal glory imputed to them from 
their adorable Redeemer. 


HYGIENIC REFORM: 


ITS RISE AND PROGRESS AMONG SEVENTH- 
DAY ADVENTISTS. 


[WHILE the reformatory principles held by Seventh- 
day Adventists are in no way peculiar to them, it is 
probable that this people present a unique example of 
the adoption, by a religious denomination, of a body of 
health principles requiring a radical change of habits, and 
affecting the lives of individual members in all their physi¬ 
cal relations. The careful reader of the preceding pages 
of this volume will hardly need to be informed of the 
sources from which the health principles of the denomi¬ 
nation have been drawn; but it will nevertheless be 
profitable to consider more at length the development of 
this remarkable movement among this people. 

Fortunately, the task of tracing the history of this 
reform was undertaken, years ago, by one eminently 
qualified for its execution; and we cannot serve our 
readers better than by presenting the substantial part of 
what was then written by Elder James White in a series 
of articles which appeared in the pages of the Health 
Reformer during the years 1870 and 1871. To these arti¬ 
cles will be appended a brief sketch of the growth of the 
movement since that time, and the development of the 
various new and important phases which have naturally 
grown up from the foundation laid by the pioneers of 
this great reformatory enterprise.] 

Every real reform — every movement that tends to 
improve man’s present condition or to affect his future 
happiness — is under the direct providence of God. This is 
true of the great cause of hygienic reform. Though Jews, 
Turks, skeptics, Christians, or modern Judases, who would 

(211) 



212 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


sell their Lord for money, may act a part in it, the reform, 
nevertheless, is of God. 

It is with great pleasure that we consider this matter 
from a Bible point of view. The Bible is to us the voice 
of Infinite Wisdom, the highest and safest authority ; and 
it contains a vast amount of testimony touching the subject 
of health. Christian temperance is taught on almost every 
page of the New Testament. We thank God for science ; 
and we also thank him that, on the subject of hygiene, 
science and the word of God are in harmony. 

Seventh-day Adventists have not felt that it was safe 
to base their hope of salvation upon mere theories of the 
future life, or upon a belief in the arguments which prove 
that that immortal state is near. They have felt the 
necessity of a preparation for the great realities of the 
future, and have made this a matter of practical consid¬ 
eration. Now is the time to obtain that moral fitness 
which is necessary for the change of “ our vile bodies ” at 
the coming of our Lord. The moral change must take place 
now, in order to the change to immortality then. 

Admitting that we are living in that brief period 
divinely allotted to the work of preparing for the second 
advent of the Son of God, and the change to immortality, 
how timely is the introduction of the subject of hygienic 
reform among us, — a reform which changes false habits 
for those of Christian temperance, and purity of soul, 
body, and spirit! 

Look at the picture of Noah’s time and ours, presented 
in Matt. 24:37-39 : “ As the days of Noah were, so shall 
also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the 
days that were before the flood, they were eating and 
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day 
that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the 
flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the 
coming of the Son of man be.” The great sins of the 
men and women of the Noatic world, when God poured 
upon it a flood of waters and washed it from its moral 
pollution, were drunkenness, gluttony, and the indulgence 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


213 


of sensuous passions. The intellectual, the moral, the 
God-like, in man were brought down to serve the animal 
appetites and passions. The sins for which the antedi¬ 
luvians were condemned, are the leading sins of our own 
time. This is emphatically an age of drunkenness, glut¬ 
tony, vice, and crime. Yet, thank God, in the midst of 
the moral filth and wretchedness, there are those who 
feel the force of the divine warning, — “Take heed to 
yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged 
with surfeiting [gluttony], and drunkenness, and cares of 
this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” * 
The glories of the future life are promised us on 
condition that we turn away from popular pollutions. 
“ Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye 
separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean ; and 
I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye 
shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us 
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, 
perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” + 

Would we be the adopted sons and daughters of the 
Almighty ? Then we must shun the excesses of this 
degenerate age, and perfect that holiness which consists 
in physical as well as moral cleanliness. Our God is the 
embodiment of purity. Into heaven “there shall in no 
wise enter . . . anything that defileth.” J The throne 
of God, the tree of life, and the river of life, clear as 
crystal, will be charming in their purity. We believe it 
to be but a little while to the ushering in of the day of 
immortal blessedness; and should we not feel unutterable 
longings for that purity of flesh and spirit which is nec¬ 
essary in order to be meet for the inheritance of the 
saints in light ? With this in view, no one should mar¬ 
vel that Seventh-day Adventists are a denomination of 
hygienic reformers. 

* Luke 21: 34. 1 2 Cor. 6 :17, 18 ; 7:1. t Rev. 21:27. 


214 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


The denomination known as Seventh-day Adventists 
has existed about twenty-two years; as an organized 
body, only ten years. Rising from a very small begin¬ 
ning, its members in the United States now [1870] number 
about fifteen thousand. From the first, some of the prin¬ 
ciples of hygienic reform have been cherished, but it is 
only about five years since the general change in diet 
and the reform in dress. 

Seventh-day Adventists took up the subject of hygiene 
from religious principle, and they adhere to it in the love 
and fear of the God of the Bible. They have a living, 
growing interest in the reform as taught among them, 
because of its harmony with science, with their own inval¬ 
uable experience, and with the word of God. Their min¬ 
isters teach it to the people publicly and at the fireside, 
and they practice it, so far as possible, wherever duty 
calls them. This people also carry out the reform in their 
social relations with kindred and friends, at home and 
abroad. This straightforward course makes them practical 
as well as theoretical teachers of hygienic reform. And 
this is no more than might be expected. A people who 
have moral courage to leave the deep rut of human cus¬ 
tom, and observe the seventh day of the week as the 
Sabbath of the Lord, purely from principle, should 
be found firm and true in all reforms. To be out of 
joint with the rest of the world for two days in each week, 
is neither convenient nor profitable. The observance of 
the Bible Sabbath is frequently attended with pecuniary 
loss. It is also decidedly unpopular ; and nature shrinks 
from taking a step that carries one so far from the world. 
And the high sense of truth and duty that leads this 
people to a conscientious observance of the Sabbath of 
the Bible, also leads them to adopt and carry out the 
principles of hygienic reform. 

Seventh-day Adventists have taken their position upon 
unpopular points of theology from hearing sermons and 
reading works which appeal to their moral and intellectual 
faculties. The grand themes upon which they dwell with 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


215 


delight and profit are the comparison of prophecy with 
history ; the origin, nature, and perpetuity of the divine 
law ; and that purity of flesh and spirit which is requisite 
to heirship to the future inheritance. 

While thousands are induced to take a position in 
matters of religion simply because their feelings are 
wrought upon, and while tens of thousands adopt a 
religion simply because it is popular, Seventh-day Ad¬ 
ventists are moved by appeals to the noblest powers of 
the human mind. Such a people should be ready to follow 
truth wherever it may lead them, and properly to estimate 
reforms wherever they may exist. And having, from 
reason and conscience, taken their position on the subject 
of hygienic reform, they are prepared to defend it, and to 
reap the benefits of it. 

As a people, we have discarded the use of tobacco in 
all its forms. Thank God for so glorious a victory over 
perverted appetite ! In the annual assemblies of the lead¬ 
ing men of our denomination, not the least taint of the 
filthy weed can be discovered by sight or smell. Our 
people have also discontinued the use of tea and coffee, 
as unnecessary, expensive, and injurious to health. Here 
another victory has been gained. 

This work of reform has entered at least four thousand 
families among us, and saves an expense of not less than 
twenty-five dollars annually to each family, making the 
entire sum saved in one year about one hundred thousand 
dollars. This is indeed a handsome sum to give for the 
cause of humanity and religion. When the benefits of 
emancipation from the slavery of morbid appetite are 
taken into the account, we, as a people, can afford to 
double the sum, and give two hundred thousand dollars 
as a tribute to the blessings of hygienic reform. 

But the reform among us does not stop here. Our 
people have put away the use of swine’s flesh, and, to a 
great extent, of flesh-meats generally. This they have 
done from a conviction that flesh is not the most nutri¬ 
tious or the most healthful food for man. While flesh- 


2 l6 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


meats stimulate, they do not build up the system, as 
other foods do. This was once an experiment with our 
people ; now it is demonstrated. 

Seventh-day Adventists have adopted two meals a day, 
instead of three. But this is not a denominational law 
with them, as their church organization and discipline 
have nothing to do with regulating such matters. Yet in 
most cases they discard flesh-meats, and partake of food 
but twice each day. These facts we have learned from 
personal observation in holding camp-meetings with them 
from Maine to Kansas, during the past summer. Our 
ministers preach hygienic reform, and live it wherever 
they go. And our many publications carry it to the doors 
of all our people. Thousands have testified to the benefits 
of the changes they have made. They report better health, 
and an increase of physical strength. Ask them if they 
can perform as much labor without meat and without the 
third meal as they could before they made these changes, 
and they will tell you that since their present habits have 
become fully established, they can endure more labor, and 
that they enjoy life much better. This is the experience 
of all, whether professional or laboring men. 

God designed our sleeping hours to be a period of 
complete rest to the entire being, stomach and all. But 
let one eat the third meal, and then go to bed ; do the 
digestive organs rest?—No. Other parts of the system 
rest; but that mill of a stomach must grind the grist on 
hand, or still greater evils will result. So it grinds, while 
its owner imperfectly sleeps. He turns restlessly from 
side to side. The brain sympathizes with the overworked 
stomach. Bad dreams follow, perhaps nightmare ; and in 
the morning the supper-eater wakes with bad feelings in 
the stomach, faintness, foul breath, depression of spirits, 
and perhaps sick-headache. He feels condemned for some¬ 
thing, he knows not what. In fact, if domestic matters 
do not move off smoothly, he is decidedly cross. The birds 
sing, but he does not hear them. The glorious sun comes 
up, but. what of that ? This is no more than it has done 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


217 


^every morning for six thousand years. With a heavy 
heart and a sad countenance he takes up the duties of 
the day. 

There is no good excuse for habitual morning head¬ 
ache. When you sleep, let the stomach rest, as well as 
all other parts of the system. Take two full, healthful 
meals each day, and let all your other habits be temperate 
and correct, and we shall hear as little of headache as 
of handache or footache. Labor, physical or mental, may 
throw the blood to the brain, and the weary man may 
go to rest with aching head. But if his stomach be not 
loaded with the third meal, and if the entire man be per¬ 
mitted to enjoy rest while he sleeps, the blood will retire 
from the head, and he will awake in the morning free 
from pain, rested and refreshed with sleep, from the crown 
of his head to the sole of his foot. He feels not only the 
restoring influence of sweet sleep in his entire being, but 
he is in possession of a moral benefit which is beyond 
price. He wakes with a clean stomach, a clear head, a 
free heart, a clear conscience (if he deals justly, loves 
mercy, and walks humbly with God), and a buoyant 
spirit. The language of his soul is, “Let everything that 
hath breath praise the Lord.”* How delightful to such 
a man is the dawn of a summer morning ! He wakes to 
join the happy songsters as they warble forth their morn¬ 
ing praise to nature’s God. He meets the rising sun again 
with gladness, and greets the members of his household 
with feelings of tenderness and love. And thus he goes 
forth to the duties of the day, enjoying health of body 
and mind, feeling that he is a man, and competent for 
the tasks of life. 

It is true that the miseries of this life are made up 
of the natural results of many sins ; but we solemnly 
believe that prominent among these is the sin of gluttony, 
especially in the form of the third meal. In a moral 
point of view, this sinjs a terrible one. It debases the 
man, and makes him earthly, sensual, devilish. To eat 
and drink fashionably, — that is, of that which was not 


*Ps. 150:6. 


2 i8 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


designed as food for man, — and too often, is an outrage 
upon the stomach. It deranges the digestive machinery, 
benumbs and beclouds the moral and intellectual powers, 
strengthens and inflames the passions. That which is God¬ 
like in man is brought down to serve the lower instincts. 

Many persons of strong constitution who are engaged 
in active, out-door labor, do not appear to be much 
affected by wrong habits of eating and drinking. Some 
of them may live to old age ; but in many cases, these 
wrong habits result in nervous dyspepsia, followed by 
physical and moral evils which seriously affect the Chris¬ 
tian life. The dyspeptic suffers depression of spirits, and 
often falls into a desponding mood, which sometimes 
ripens into despair. Such persons cast a shadow, instead 
of giving light to the world. They are, in fact, a burden 
to themselves and to all around them. The influence of 
these gloomy, desponding, dyspeptic Christians goes far 
to impress the minds of the youth with the idea that 
religion is calculated to deprive them of real happiness, 
and that it is totally unsuited to their years. 

I solemnly believe that ninety per cent of the exist¬ 
ing despondency, despair, and what is called religious 
insanity, is caused by the abuse of the stomach. He who 
looks through smoked glass sees nothing bright and pleas¬ 
ant. The beauties of nature and of art all look stained 
and gloomy. So the dyspeptic Christian views God, Christ, 
angels, and heaven through a brain beclouded by con¬ 
tinued abuse of the stomach. 

But the man who is ignorant of the facts in the case 
cries out that those who have undertaken a reform in 
diet, are starving themselves to death! Let us see. My 
own table is furnished fourteen times each week from the 
following varieties, prepared by an intelligent cook, in 
every inviting form : — 

Vegetables. —Potatoes, turnips, parsnips, onions, cab¬ 
bages, squashes, peas, beans, etc. 

Grains. — Wheat, corn, rye, barley, oatmeal, rice, farina, 
cornstarch, and the like. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


219 


Fruits. — Apples, pears, peaches, strawberries, rasp¬ 
berries, blackberries, huckleberries, grapes, cranberries, 
raisins, and tomatoes. 

Besides these, we keep one of the finest young cows 
in Michigan, which is fed and treated in a manner to 

secure to our family of twelve, about ten quarts per day 

of the best milk. We starve to death? — Not we. “But 
can you afford these extras?” — Indeed we can. They do 
not cost, the year round, as much as the old diet of flesh- 
meats, spices, etc. But this is not our reason for the 

change. The object of hygienic reform is not to save 

money, but to secure health, manhood, purity, and heaven. 

When the subject of healthful diet and two meals a 
day was first introduced among Seventh-day Adventists, 
it was favorably received by the majority. This was 
owing, in a great measure, to the manner in which it 
was presented. Mrs. White was the first to speak upon 
the subject among our people. She went from State to 
State, speaking once or twice at each of our large gath¬ 
erings. She appealed to the people upon the subject of 
Bible temperance, dwelling upon the great benefits and 
blessings to be derived from correcting bad habits of life. 
The subject was a fruitful one, and was presented in a 
happy, earnest style. She spoke to men and women who 
held the Bible as the highest and safest authority, and there 
were few who objected to her teachings. Many immedi¬ 
ately left the use of flesh-meats, and adopted the two- 
meal system. Several of our ministers, who had been 
afflicted with disease, soon reported a better state of 
health as the result of changing their habits of life. The 
interest was very general, and seemed to be steadily 
increasing. 

In the year 1865, Mrs. White prepared a work of four 
hundred pages, entitled, “ How to Live.” It was first 
issued in six pamphlets, to subscribers, by the Seventh-day 
Adventist Publishing Association, Battle Creek, Mich. 
These pamphlets were devoted, one each, to the questions 
of food, bathing, drugs, air, clothing, and exercise. A large 


220 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


edition was printed, and a portion of it was bound in a 
neat volume, which had a large sale. It was readable, 
and well adapted to meet the wants of the people. It 
had a wide circulation outside of Seventh-day Adventists, 
and its influence for good, in calling attention to the sub¬ 
ject of hygienic reform, can hardly be estimated. 

Another book published about this time was a little 
work of sixty-four pages, entitled, “ An Appeal to Mothers. 
The Great Cause of the Physical and Moral Ruin of Many 
of the Children of our Time.” This also was prepared by 
Mrs. White, and a large edition was issued by the same pub¬ 
lishers. Many personal friends scattered the work very 
widely, because of the confidence they had that the author 
was especially taught of the Lord. Others assisted in its 
circulation, because of the truth which it earnestly set 
forth. Thousands of youth have read this pamphlet, and 
many have been reformed by it. Thousands of mothers 
have had their attention called to the importance of tak¬ 
ing every precaution to save their young children from 
falling into evil habits and polluting vices. The warning 
has been faithfully given, and its good results are already 
evident. 

In the early part of 1865 I became fully satisfied that 
I had received great benefit from adopting the principles 
of hygienic reform, so far as we understood them. I had 
been afflicted with rheumatism, and with difficulties of 
the stomach and head. These were disappearing, and I 
enjoyed clearness of thought, freedom of spirit, and physi¬ 
cal strength and activity. This great improvement in 
health led me to intemperance in labor. To my former 
arduous duties was added an active effort to teach the 
people the principles of hygienic reform. This was put 
forth in the form of lectures upon the subject in the morn¬ 
ing and between religious services at our State Con¬ 
ferences. 

At this time, while I was making important changes, 
my labors should have been decreased, instead of being 
increased. I was exploring a new field, ignorant of the 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


221 


dangers to which I was exposed. But with ardent zeal 
I labored on. One morning, after a constant strain on 
my mental and physical powers, as Mrs. White and my¬ 
self were enjoying our usual walk, I suffered a stroke of 
paralysis. My right arm was rendered useless for a short 
time, and the brain and the power of speech were so far 
affected that I could utter but one word to the faithful 
friends who gathered around, and that was, Pray. After 
a short season of prayer, relief came, so that I could raise 
the paralyzed arm, and could imperfectly converse. But 
dyspepsia in its worst form followed, and in three months 
I was reduced over fifty pounds in weight. In this con¬ 
dition I continued for about one year. But by the bless¬ 
ing of God, and careful attention to the laws of health, I 
was finally enabled to rally. During the past three years 
I have dispensed with flesh-meats, and have taken but 
two meals a day. I have worked hard and incessantly, as 
few men do, and have come up from one hundred and 
thirty-four pounds to one hundred and eighty. 

During the fifteen months of my severe sickness, Mrs. 
White was by my side ; and of course she was necessarily 
silent, so far as public labors were concerned. Hence the 
work of pushing forward hygienic reform among Seventh- 
day Adventists devolved upon others. And some of those 
who undertook to guide the movement were so unfortunate 
as to adopt extreme positions, and, in some localities,, 
brought reproach upon the cause. 

These extremes operated against the reform in two 
ways: First, they caused a great amount of prejudice; 
and, secondly, in the minds of many who were but par¬ 
tially converted to the reform, they furnished an excuse 
for drawing back to former habits of life. It is a great 
misfortune for those who labor to move minds in any 
good cause, to run to extremes. Our work is to move 
the people ; and the more people we can reach, the more 
good is accomplished. If reformers must err at all, it is 
safest for their own influence, and much better for those 
they would help, to err on the side nearest the people. If 


222 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


they err on the other side, they at once place themselves 
where they cannot reach the people at all. Some may 
be satisfied to take extreme positions, and stand in their 
defense, with the few who adhere to the same, leaving all 
the rest of the world uninstructed upon the broad princi¬ 
ples of reform; but such a course does not commend 
itself to my mind. 

One thing is certain, instructors should practice their 
own teachings before urging them upon others. And 
then, when they become fully established, and live out 
strictly their own sentiments, when they have learned to 
value them highly, and feel the importance of teaching 
them to others, they should labor judiciously to lift the 
people up to them. Have they reached a firm footing 
above their friends, and do they rejoice in a higher posi¬ 
tion than they occupied but yesterday ? then they should 
remember the “hole of the pit” from which they have 
just been taken. We were all beginners once. The cause 
is a progressive one. As we advance, let us take as many 
of the people with us as possible. 

In every society or association of men there are always 
novices ready to seize upon the most extreme thoughts 
and suggestions ; and with a spirit more keen than toler¬ 
ant, they will urge their views at any time, anywhere 
and everywhere. These persons appear never to think 
of the words of the Divine Teacher, “I have yet many 
things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.”* 
They do not learn the truth contained in them, — that 
the human mind is not always ready to receive even 
important truths. Christ labored to lead his disciples 
forward step by step, as they could understand the new 
truths he was ever opening before them. He understood 
the philosophy of the mind, and he knew how to deal 
with it. 

Not all are prepared to teach. There are a hundred 
who should take the learner’s seat, where there is one 
adapted to the teacher’s stand. Many who talk loud and 
long of reform would be better qualified for the work 

* John 16:12. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


223 


after learning something to say that would shed clear 
light upon the subject; while others fail entirely in their 
efforts to teach the people, from a want of mental disci¬ 
pline, and of experience in dealing tenderly with other 
minds. “ He that winneth souls is wise.” * 

All questions upon which people are sensitive should 
be treated with candor and great care, even by those 
who are well-informed, and competent to teach, lest the 
minds of those they would instruct should be closed by 
prejudice. But on the subject of hygiene, which restricts 
the appetites and passions of men, double care should be 
taken by those qualified for the work, to “ speak the truth 
in love.” 

In the early days of the reform, there were errors and 
extremes in practice as well as in theory. We might refer 
to the cold-water men of from twenty to thirty years ago. 
Better-informed hydropathists now talk of less “heroic” 
treatment, — tepid water, and more pleasant baths. When 
water-treatment was first introduced, novices were, in some 
instances, guilty of remaining all night in a cold, wet- 
sheet pack, and that, too, by the consent of their friends. 
They would come out in the morning trembling with cold. 
It is a wonder they did not die outright. Cold water, 
applied in a proper manner, during a proper period of 
time, is indispensable in some diseases, and for some 
persons. But cold water improperly applied has death 
in it. 

What is true of extremes in the use of water, is also 
true in a degree of extremes in diet. And it is a matter 
of the deepest regret that the public mind has been soured 
by the advantages that have been taken of existing ex¬ 
tremes, and that good men and women have become 
prejudiced against the true philosophy of life and health. 

The cause of hygienic reform, however, is onward, and 
all enlightened and sincere reformers will follow on in 
the path of light and right. The changes from injurious 
habits of life to those conducive to health, are great, and 
should be made with care, especially if the same habits 


* Prov. 11130. 


224 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


of labor are continued. It is always best to labor much 
less at the time of changing to a vegetarian diet, and 
adopting two meals a day. Is a man a tobacco user, a 
tea-and-coffee drinker, a meat eater, taking his three 
meals ? Let him begin with tobacco, and put that away. 
Then let him leave off the use of tea and coffee, eat less 
meat, and make his third meal very light. He will find 
this a heavy tax upon his system. He may all the time 
feel worse ; but what of that ? There is a glorious victory 
ahead. Soon he can dispense with flesh-meats altogether. 
His appetite will become natural, and he can take simple, 
healthful food with a keen relish. Next, he leaves off the 
third meal. As he sleeps, his stomach rests ; and in the 
morning he does not suffer from faintness, as when his 
stomach was taxed with the third meal. When right 
habits of diet are established, and the victory over mor¬ 
bid appetite is gained, the morning hours, especially in 
summer, are the happiest and best. 

Shall we stop here ? Having gained victories, and 
now enjoying many of the blessings resulting from a 
change from wrong habits of life, how natural and con¬ 
sistent that we should still look forward to higher and 
yet holier attainments in life and happiness ! 

The attention of our people was first called to the 
harmful effects of tea, coffee, and tobacco about twenty 
years ago. For thirteen years the voice of truth, plead¬ 
ing in the name of Christian temperance, was heard among 
us, warning us against these slow poisons, before our atten¬ 
tion was called to any further advance in habits of life. 
This was all that could be borne till victory should turn 
in favor of purity and health, and against these popular 
evils. The good work went steadily on, until our tables 
were cleared of tea and coffee, and our homes and persons 
were free from the stench of tobacco. 

Our dwellings and our places of worship are no longer 
defiled with the filthy narcotic. Here we will join the 
song of jubilee with our mothers, daughters, and sisters, 
that our homes are redeemed from this defilement, and 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


225 


that fathers, sons, and brothers are free from the scent of 
the baneful weed, and, in this respect at least, are pure 
and manly. 

We forbear to enter into all the details of domestic 
wretchedness occasioned by the slow, but sure, process 
of enfeeblement, disease, nervousness, and fretfulness occa¬ 
sioned by the use of tea and coffee. Thank God that 
our sisters have found a happy release from these subtle 
enemies of health and happiness ! With improved health, 
free from the tea headache, in the enjoyment of firmer 
nerves and a calm spirit, they will now allow husbands, 
sons, and brothers, in their turn, to rejoide. 

If personal cleanliness only were involved in this mat¬ 
ter, both men and women might well thank God for vic¬ 
tories gained. But here are principles to be maintained 
that reach beyond the exterior, —principles that affect our 
well-being not only in this life but in the life to come. 

When we say that those who have found freedom from 
the tyranny of tea, coffee, and tobacco, enjoy improved 
health, clearer brains, and more even and buoyant spirits, 
we state a fact to which thousands among us can bear 
testimony. But the good work of reform did not end 
here. About seven years ago, the attention of our people 
was especially turned to the importance of thorough ven¬ 
tilation, and to the relation of proper food and clothing 
to health. The question of flesh-eating came up, and was 
fully and candidly discussed. It was decided that flesh was. 
less nutritious than bread, — an opinion sustained not only 
by the best medical authorities in our country and Europe, 
but by the experience of thousands who have tested the 
matter for themselves. While we admit that flesh is a. 
food, we deny that it is the best food for man. It stimu¬ 
lates the system, but does not nourish and build it up, as. 
do grains, fruits, and vegetables. Besides this, animals are 
liable to be more or less diseased; and by partaking of 
their flesh, man receives their diseases into his own system. 

It is stated upon good authority that while wheat, 
corn, barley, rye, and oats contain seventy-five parts nutri- 

5 


226 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


tion and twenty-five parts waste, pork, beef, and mutton 
contain only twenty-five parts nutrition and seventy-five 
parts waste. On this hypothesis, one pound of meal con¬ 
tains as much nutriment as three pounds of meat. The 
poor man may figure thus : The rich pay fifty cents for 
three pounds of meat, which contain no more value in 
nutrition than one pound of good, unbolted wheat-meal, 
costing only four cents. Again, the poor man may reason 
from established facts : It takes five pounds of corn fed to 
swine to make one pound of pork. Three pounds of the 
pork contain no more nourishment than one pound of 
cornmeal; therefore it is a hard trade to throw away 
fourteen-fifteenths of the golden blessing of a liberal Provi¬ 
dence, and save only one-fifteenth for hungry children, 
and that, too, in the form of scrofulous swine’s flesh. 

But it may be argued that one feels stronger immedi¬ 
ately after eating liberally of flesh. This is admitted. The 
same is true of tea and whisky. It is also true that the 
languor which follows the stimulating influence of tea and 
whisky, is felt in a degree by those who subsist largely 
upon flesh-meats. On this point also the writer can speak 
from experience. After breakfasting largely upon beef¬ 
steak, feelings of faintness used to call for a lunch by 
eleven o’clock. Now, after a breakfast at 6:30 A. M., of 
vegetables, fruits, and bread, nothing more is needed till 
12 : 30. And it is the testimony of hundreds whose diges¬ 
tion is feeble, that the faintness they felt when eating 
flesh three times a day, has subsided since abstaining 
from meat entirely, and taking only two meals a day of 
grains, fruits, and vegetables. 

Let no one imagine, however, that all the benefits of 
hygienic reform are to be realized in a day, in a week, 
or even in a year. It may take five or ten years for 
those who suffer from wrong habits of living to prove the 
good results of conforming to nature’s laws. Once these 
changes were an experiment with our people, but the 
experience of years has demonstrated their importance. 
The longer the blessing that results from these changes 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


227 

is enjoyed, the more clearly it is seen, and the higher is 
our estimate of its value. 

HEALTH INSTITUTIONS. 

In the summer of 1866, through the influence of Mrs. 
White, the foundations were laid for the first health insti¬ 
tution among Seventh-day Adventists. Indeed, the insti¬ 
tution founded at that time was one of the first of the 
sort in the western part of the United States. Perhaps it 
may be said that it was the first of the kind in the 
United States, or in the world, as it possessed many 
unique features, and was not conducted as a money-making 
scheme. Between thirty and forty thousand dollars was 
raised for the enterprise by the friends of health and 
temperance reform. A proper site was selected, and the 
Health Institute opened in August, 1866. 

During the first years of the institution, water was 
almost the sole remedial agent employed, and a large 
number of persons were restored to health by a careful 
use of baths, and the healthful regulation of diet, rest, 
exercise, and general habits of life. After ten years of 
very successful work as a water-cure, the institution was 
reorganized under a new management and with a broader 
scope. The name was changed from “Health Institute” 
to “ Medical and Surgical Sanitarium.” Since that time 
the managers have undertaken to supply to their patients 
all known rational remedies for disease. The facilities for 
treatment have been constantly enlarging, but at no time 
have they been more than sufficient to meet the rapidly 
growing patronage of the establishment. The four original 
wooden buildings have given place to two fine brick 
structures, capable of accommodating several hundred 
sick people. 

At the time of this writing, the family of the institution, 
comprising patients, nurses, and attendants, numbers more 
than six hundred persons. Nearly four hundred thousand 
dollars is invested in buildings and medical appliances, 
and competent persons, who visit this institution after 


228 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


having visited the principal medical establishments of the 
world, declare unhesitatingly that there is no establish¬ 
ment in the civilized world which equals this in the 
extent and completeness of its facilities for the care of 
the sick. 

Several years ago the managers, finding themselves 
unable to accommodate the increasing demand for skilled 
nurses and attendants, established a Training School for 
Nurses, which has grown to be the largest school of its 
kind in the United States. At present, nearly one hun¬ 
dred nurses are employed in the Sanitarium. The Train¬ 
ing School numbers more than eighty pupils. The course 
of training in this school is so thorough that its graduates 
are in constant demand. Almost daily the managers 
receive calls for nurses from various parts of the United 
States, which they are unable to supply. Scores of young 
men and women have already received training for most 
useful and lucrative positions, and the reputation of the 
school is such that the managers are able to receive 
only a small proportion of those who apply. 

A Training School in Domestic Economy is also con¬ 
ducted in connection with the institution, in which young 
men and women are trained in the art and science of 
economic housekeeping. This department comprises one 
of the most excellent cooking schools in the United States, 
and is in session the year round. Scores of young men 
and women from various European countries, as well as 
from different parts of the United States, are in constant 
attendance at these schools. 

Still another line of educational work is the Sanitarium 
Kindergarten, in which children are taught and trained 
after the most healthful methods for developing both the 
mind and the body. The managers of this department 
have recently organized a course of instruction for young 
women who wish to devote themselves to this branch of 
educational work. 

A course of instruction is also carried on for the pur¬ 
pose of fitting persons to engage in health and temperance 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


229 


missionary work. This course comprises not only instruc¬ 
tion in the principles of hygiene and temperance, but gives 
a training in the best methods of imparting instruction to 
others by means of talks, conversations, readings, and the 
distribution of health literature. 

The generosity of the stockholders in relinquishing 
their dividends to be used for charitable purposes, has 
enabled the managers to extend the advantages of the 
institution to hundreds of worthy persons who are poor. 
The work in this department, since the organization of the 
institution, amounts to more than one hundred thousand 
dollars, or nearly three times the whole original capital 
stock as a self-supporting work. The success of this 
enterprise is unrivaled, and its charities are constantly 
extending into new lines, as fast as the funds of the 
institution will allow. 

In the year 1877 a health institution, based upon essen¬ 
tially the same principles as the Sanitarium at Battle Creek, 
was established at St. Helena, Cal. This institution, known 
as the Rural Health Retreat, has developed into a large and 
flourishing establishment, capable of caring for one hun¬ 
dred invalids, and hundreds of sick people have been re¬ 
stored to health through its agency. Another institution 
has been recently opened at Mt. Vernon, Ohio ; and several 
small establishments, mostly of a private character, have 
sprung up in various parts of the United States, being 
carried on by those who have been connected, more or 
less, with the original health institution at Battle Creek. 
Plans are now in operation for the establishment of a 
branch institution in some part of Colorado. 

HEALTH JOURNALS. 

About the time of the establishment of the first health 
institution, the publication of a journal, known as the 
Health Reformer , was begun, with the object of promul¬ 
gating the principles of health and temperance reform 
which were advocated and practiced at the Health Insti¬ 
tute. The journal soon acquired a large subscription list, 


230 CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 

and became one of the most widely circulated health 
publications in the United States. About the time of the 
reorganization of the Health Institute, the name of the 
journal was changed to Good Health, under which title it 
is now published. Probably no other journal of the kind 
wields so wide an influence in the interests of health and 
temperance and social purity reform, as this. 

Eight or nine years ago a health journal in the Danish 
language was started in Christiana, Norway. This soon 
became so popular that it was necessary to publish an 
edition also in the Swedish language. More recently, two 
journals in the Scandinavian languages have been started 
in this country, so that now there are four health journals 
in those languages, and each has a wide circulation. 

Several years ago the managers of the Rural Health 
Retreat established a journal known as the Pacific Health 
Journal, which has reached a liberal circulation, and has 
accomplished much in the dissemination of the principles 
of health and temperance reform. 

In addition to the various journals mentioned, books, 
tracts, and pamphlets have been issued by the hundred 
thousand. 

Before leaving this subject, it will be proper to call 
attention to a prediction made by Mrs. White more than 
twenty years ago, regarding the health institution at Battle 
Creek: “With all the efforts in every department, put 
forth in a correct and judicious manner, and with the 
blessing of God, the institution will prove a glorious suc¬ 
cess.” Another statement, made before the institution 
had reached half its present dimensions and facilities, is 
as follows: “If it [the Sanitarium] is conducted in a 
manner that God can bless, it will be highly successful, 
and will stand in advance of every other institution of 
the kind in the world.” 

The following article from Mrs. White clearly sets forth 
the principles upon which the Sanitarium should be con¬ 
ducted : — 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


231 


A HEALTH INSTITUTION. 

In a vision given me Dec. 25, ,1865, I saw that Seventh- 
day Adventists should have a home for the sick, where 
they could receive medical care, and also learn how to 
live so as to prevent disease ; that it should be an insti¬ 
tution whose influence would be closely connected with 
the work of fitting mortals for immortality ; and that it 
should not be established for the object of gain, but to 
aid in bringing God’s people into such a condition of 
physical and mental health as will enable them rightly to 
appreciate eternal things, and correctly to value the re¬ 
demption so dearly purchased by the sufferings and death 
of our Saviour. Unless this object should be continually 
set before the people, and efforts made to this end, the 
institution would prove a curse instead of a blessing. 

Health reform is a part of the great benevolent, sacri¬ 
ficing work of God ; and this institution, incorporated for 
the special purpose of diffusing light upon this question, 
should prove itself a factor in this charitable work. Dona¬ 
tions given to it should be considered a sacrifice to God, 
the donors looking for their dividends in his kingdom. 
The institution itself should be charitable, doing all it 
can for the relief of the worthy poor. Physicians, man¬ 
agers, and helpers should all work on the same liberal, 
sacrificing plan, not merely for money, but for the glory 
of God and the relief of their suffering fellow-men. 

Why should the Christian physician, who is waiting 
and longing for the coming and kingdom of Christ, when 
death will no longer have power over the saints, expect 
more remuneration for his services than the Christian 
minister or editor ? He may say that his work is more 
wearing; but God does not require any man to work 
beyond his strength, in any employment. He should work 
as he can endure, and not violate the laws of life which 
he teaches to his patients. There is no good reason why 
he should overwork and receive high wages for it, more 
than the minister or the editor. 


2 32 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


No one who labors simply for money should be suf¬ 
fered to remain at the Sanitarium as a helper. There are 
those of ability, who, for the love of Christ, might fill 
positions of trust faithfully and cheerfully, and with a 
spirit of sacrifice. Those who have not this spirit should 
withdraw, and give place to those who have it. 

It is God’s design that the Sanitarium which he has 
established shall stand forth as a beacon of light and 
warning and reproof. He would prove to the world that 
an institution conducted on religious principles as an 
asylum for the sick, can be sustained without sacrificing 
its peculiar, religious character; that it can be kept free 
from the objectionable features that are found in other 
institutions of the kind. It is to be an instrumentality 
in his hand to bring about great reforms. 

The Lord has shown me that in an institution estab¬ 
lished among us, the greatest danger would be that its 
managers would depart from the spirit of the present truth, 
from that simplicity which should ever characterize the 
disciples of Christ. The prosperity of the Sanitarium is 
not dependent alone upon the intelligence and knowledge 
of its physicians, but upon the favor of God. If it is con¬ 
ducted in a manner that God can bless, it will be highly 
successful, and will stand in advance of every other institu¬ 
tion of the kind in the world. Great light, great knowl¬ 
edge, and superior privileges have been given; and in 
accordance with the light received will be the accounta¬ 
bility. 

The instruction given me concerning it, contained a 
special warning against lowering the standard of truth in 
any way in order to meet the ideas of those not of our 
faith, and thus secure their patronage. But if they choose 
to come where religion is exalted, and where the mana¬ 
gers carry out Bible principles in all departments of the 
work, they place themselves directly under the influence 
of the truth; and many, besides obtaining relief from 
bodily infirmities, will also find a balm for their sin-sick 
souls. One precious soul saved will be worth more than 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


233 


all the means contributed toward the establishment of 
such an institution. The Sanitarium, if rightly conducted, 
may be the means of bringing important truths before 
many whom it would be impossible to reach by ordinary 
methods. While our faith should not be urged upon the 
patients, nor any religious controversy forced upon them, 
our papers and publications, carefully selected, should be 
in sight almost everywhere. The religious element must 
predominate. 

I have seen that physicians and helpers should be of 
the highest order,— those who have an experimental knowl¬ 
edge of the truth, who will command respect, and whose 
word can be relied on. They should be free from jealousy 
and evil-surmising, — persons who have a power of will 
that does not yield to slight indispositions, who are un¬ 
prejudiced, who think and move calmly and considerately, 
having the glory of God and the good of others ever 
before them. Those only should be chosen to responsible 
positions who are qualified to fill them; and they should 
first be proved, to see if they are free from jealousy and 
favoritism. 

Those who treat the sick should constantly seek the 
blessing of God upon their work, expecting him to aid 
them in the use of the means he has so graciously pro¬ 
vided, and to which he has specially called our attention 
as a people, — pure air, cleanliness, healthful diet, adequate 
rest, and the use of water. They should allow no selfish 
interest to divert their attention from this important and 
solemn work. To care properly for the physical and 
spiritual interests of the afflicted who place themselves 
under their care, will require their undivided attention. 
No one has so great a mind, or is so skillful, that the 
work will not be imperfect, even after he has done his 
best. 

Let those to whom are committed the physical, and 
also to a great extent the spiritual, interests of the afflicted 
people of God, beware how they, through worldly policy 
or personal interest, or a desire to be engaged in a pop- 


234 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


ular work, call down upon themselves the frown of God. 
They should not depend upon their skill alone. If the 
blessing of God is upon the institution, holy angels will 
attend patients, helpers, and physicians, to assist in the 
work of restoration, so that in the end the glory will be 
given to God, and not to feeble, short-sighted man. 

Wrong habits of life are to be corrected, the morals 
elevated, the tastes changed, the dress modified. A great 
amount of disease is brought into the world through the 
prevailing style of dress; and the fact should be made 
prominent that a reform must take place before treatment 
can effect a cure. The crippled, diseased organs of the 
body, and the dwarfed faculties of the mind, cannot be 
strengthened and invigorated without decided reforms. 
Those who are connected with the Sanitarium should be 
in every respect correct representatives of the principles 
advocated there. 

I saw the beneficial influence of out-door labor upon 
those of feeble vitality and poor circulation, especially 
upon women who have induced these conditions by too 
much confinement in-doors. Their blood has become impure 
for want of fresh air and exercise. Instead of inventing 
amusements to occupy the patients in-doors, employment 
should be afforded them in cultivating the ample grounds 
around the Sanitarium ; and this labor should be made a 
part of their prescription. Flowers, fruit, and vegetables 
might be raised, under the direction of an experienced 
gardener, and thus afford employment appropriate to the 
sex and condition of every one. 

While the Sanitarium may have patronage from people 
of wealth, there are many among us who are not able 
to pay the expenses of a journey thither, and a length¬ 
ened stay. Shall poverty keep these friends of our 
Lord away from the blessings which he has so bounti¬ 
fully provided ? Shall they be left to struggle on with 
the double burden of ‘sickness and poverty ? Those who 
are wealthy, and have all the conveniences and comforts 
of life, may, by taking home treatment, often enjoy a very" 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


235 


fair state of health. But it is our poor brethren, who have 
hardly the necessaries of life, that need our help. They 
may have faults, and yet may be living 1 up to duty better 
than some who have means ; and many of them are humble 
Christians. 

The expenses of some of these should be defrayed by 
the churches to which they belong. Some, again, have 
rich relatives to whom they can look for assistance. But 
there are many others who have no such resource ; and 
for these a fund should be provided by those to whom 
God has intrusted means. 

The stay of such at the Sanitarium must necessarily 
be short. By means of the lectures they hear, and by 
securing good books, they can learn how to live at home ; 
and on their return they can carry out the principles they 
have learned there. They must not rely on the physician 
to cure them in a few weeks, but must learn to live so as 
to give nature a chance to work the cure. It may require 
years to complete the healing process begun at the Sani¬ 
tarium. 

But those who receive the benefits of this liberality, 
must be willing to be taught. They should cherish a 
spirit of gratitude to God and to their brethren for the 
help they receive. They should understand that their 
sickness and poverty are misfortunes, often caused by 
their own sins and their ignorance of the laws of health; 
and if the Lord puts it into the hearts of his people to 
help them, it should inspire in them a spirit of gratitude. 

Let no one entertain the idea that the Sanitarium is 
the place to be raised up by the prayer of faith. It is 
rather the place to find relief from disease by treatment 
and right habits of living, and to learn how to avoid sick¬ 
ness. But if there is one place under heaven more than 
another where sympathizing prayer should be offered by 
men and women of devotion and faith, it is at such an 
institution. I have seen that the reason why God did 
not more frequently answer the prayers of his servants 
for the sick among us, was that he could not be glorified 


236 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


in so doing while they were violating the laws of health. 
He designed health reform and the Sanitarium to prepare 
the way for the prayer of faith to be answered. Faith 
and good works should thus go hand in hand in relieving 
the afflicted among us, and in fitting them to glorify God 
here, and to be saved at the coming of Christ. God forbid 
that these afflicted ones should ever be disappointed and 
grieved in finding the managers working only from a 
worldly standpoint, instead of adding to the hygienic 
practice the blessings and virtues of nursing fathers and 
mothers in Israel. 


PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. 


The following sketches of the lives of Elder Bates and Elder Andrews 
were writter^ by Elder James White in 1877, and appeared in the pages of 
Good Health of that year : — 

ELDER JOSEPH BATES. 

Sketches of the lives of great and good men are given 
to the world for the benefit of the generations that follow 
them. Human life is more or less an experiment to all who 
enter upon it. Hence the frequent remark that we need to 
live one life in order to learn how to live. This maxim, in 
all its unqualified strength of expression, may be a correct 
statement of the case of the self-confident and incautious ; 
but it need not be wholly true of those who have had 
good and wise parents, and who have proper respect for 
the prudent and good people who have made life a success. 
To those who profit by the experiences of those who have 
fought the good fight, and have finished their course with 
joy, life is not altogether an experiment. Its general out¬ 
lines, to say the least, may be patterned after those who 
have, by the grace of God, become good and noble and 
truly great, in choosing and defending the right. 

Reflecting young men and women may acquire, even 
before they leave parental care, a practical education 
which will be invaluable to them in future life. This may 
be done to a considerable extent by careful observation ; 
but in reading the lives of worthy people they may learn 
lessons by which they will be fortified against the evil, 
and be enabled to choose the good, that lies all along 
the path of human life. 

Second to our Lord Jesus Christ, Noah, Job, and 
Daniel are held up before us by the sacred writers as 
patterns worthy of imitation. The brief sketches of the 
faith, patience, firmness, and moral excellence of these and 

(237) 



238 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


other holy men, as found in the pages of sacred history, 
have been proved to be of inestimable value to all who 
would walk worthy of the Christian name. They were men 
subject to like passions as we are. Were some of them, at 
times, overcome of evil ? erring men of our time may bless 
that record also ; for it states how these ancient worthies 
overcame evil, and fully redeemed their errors, so that, 
becoming doubly victorious, they shine brightest on the 
sacred page. 

In his epistle to the Hebrews, Paul gives a list of 
heroes of faith. In chapter eleven he mentions Abel, 
Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and 
the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought 
righteousness, obtained promises, and stopped the mouths 
of lions. The apostle presents these witnesses as patterns 
for the Christian church, as may be seen by the use he 
makes of them in the first verse of the chapter which 
follows : “ Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about 
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every 
weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let 
us run with patience the race that is set before us.” 

Since the apostle’s time, there have been many who 
exemplified in their life the same firm principles for which 
the ancient worthies were commended. Elder Joseph Bates 
was such a man. His life was crowded with unselfish 
motives and noble actions. That which makes his early 
history intensely interesting to his personal friends, is the 
fact that he became a devoted follower of Christ, a thor¬ 
ough reformer, a Christian gentleman, and ripened into a 
noble manhood, and all this while exposed to the evils of 
sea-faring life, — from the cabin-boy of 1807 to the wealthy 
retiring master of 1828, a period of twenty-one years. 

Beauty and fragrance are expected of the rose, planted 
in suitable, well-cultivated soil, and tenderly reared under 
the watchful eye of the lover of the beautiful; but it is 
with wonder that we admire the living green, the pure 
white, and the delicate tints of the water-lily, whose roots 
reach far down into the cold mire at the bottom of the 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


239 


darksome lake. And we revere the Power that causes 
this pearl of flowers, uncultivated and obscure, to appro¬ 
priate to itself all valuable qualities, and to reject the evil. 

So, to apply the figure, we reasonably expect excellence 
of character in those who are guarded against corrupting 
influences, and whose surroundings are the most favorable 
to mental and moral development. In our hearts, press- 
ing up to our lips, are blessings for all such. But he who, 
in the perpetual presence of the uncultivated and vile, and 
with no visible hand to guard and guide, becomes pure 
and wise, and devotes his life to the service of God and 
the good of humanity,— a Christian philanthropist, — such 
a one is indeed a miracle of God’s love and power. 

Joseph Bates was born July 8, 1892. The following 
brief account of his parentage and boyhood is taken from 
his “Autobiography,” published in 1868: — 

“ My honored father and his forefathers were for many 
years residents in the town of Wareham, Plymouth 
County, Massachusetts. My mother was the daughter of 
Mr. Barnabas Nye, of the town of Sandwich, Barnstable 
County, both towns but a few hours’ ride .from the noted 
landing-place of the Pilgrim Fathers. 

“My father was a volunteer in the Revolutionary War, 
and continued in the service of his country during its 
seven years’ struggle. When Gen. Lafayette revisited the 
United States, in 1825, among the many who were press¬ 
ing to shake hands with him at his reception rooms in 
the city of Boston was my father. As he approached, the 
General recognized him, and grasped his hand, saying, 
‘How do you do, my old friend, Captain Bates?’ ‘Do 
you remember him ? ’ was asked. His answer was some¬ 
thing like the following: ‘Certainly; he was under my 
immediate command in the American army.’ 

“ After the war, my father married and settled in Roches¬ 
ter, an adjoining town in Plymouth County, where I was 
born. In the early part of 1793 we moved to New Bed¬ 
ford, some seven miles distant, where my father entered 
into commercial business. 


240 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


“During the war with England, in 1812, the town of 
New Bedford was divided, and the eastern part was called 
Fairhaven. This was ever afterward my place of resi¬ 
dence until I moved with my family to Michigan, in 
May, 1858. 

“ In my school-boy days my most ardent desire was 
to become a sailor. I used to think how gratified I should 
be if I could only get on board a ship that was going on 
a voyage of discovery round the world. I wanted to see 
how it looked on the opposite side. Whenever I thought 
of asking my father to let me go to sea, my courage 
failed, for fear he would say, No. When I tried to unbur¬ 
den my mind to my mother, she endeavored to dissuade 
me, and proposed some other occupation. At last they 
permitted me to accompany my uncle on a short trip to 
Boston, hoping this would cure me ; but it had the oppo¬ 
site effect. My parents then complied with my wishes. 

“ A new ship, called the Fanny, of New Bedford, was 
about to sail for Europe ; the commander, Elias Terry, 
agreed with my father to take me on the voyage as 
cabin-boy. In June, 1807, we sailed from New Bedford 
to take our cargo on board at New York City, for London, 
England.” 

With increasing interest we follow young Bates in his 
perilous experience upon the seas, and recognize in him 
a spirit firm and undaunted, ready to live up to his con¬ 
victions of right, and we also see the hand of Providence 
in wonderful deliverances from danger and death. At one 
time he had the courage, under trying circumstances, to 
reject a bribe offered to induce him to take a false oath; 
and by testifying to the truth he saved the fore-fingers 
and thumb of his right hand, with which he wrote during 
his long life in advocating and defending the noblest 
reforms of the age. He says: — 

“While we were congratulating ourselves respecting 
our narrow escape from shipwreck, two suspicious looking 
vessels were endeavoring to cut us off from the shore. 
Their cannon balls soon began to fall around us, and it 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


241 


became advisable for us to round to and let them come 
aboard. They proved to be two Danish privateers, who 
captured us and took us to Copenhagen, where ship and 
cargo were finally condemned in accordance with Bona¬ 
parte’s decrees, because of our intercourse with the English. 

‘Tn the course of a few weeks we were all called to 
the court-house to give testimony respecting our voyage. 
Previously to this, our supercargo, who was also part 
owner, had promised us a handsome reward if we would 
testify that our voyage was direct from New York to 
Copenhagen, and that we had had no intercourse with the 
English. To this proposition we were not all agreed. 
We were finally examined separately, my turn coming 
first. I suppose they first called me into court because I 
was the only youth among the sailors. One of the three 
judges asked me in English if I understood the nature of 
an oath. After I had answered in the affirmative, he bade 
me look at a box near by, about fifteen inches long and 
eight high, and said, ‘ That box contains a machine 
to cut off the two forefingers and thumb of every one 
who swears falsely here. Now,’ said he, ‘hold up your 
two forefingers and thumb on your right hand.’ In this 
manner I was sworn to tell the truth, and regardless of 
any consideration, I testified to the facts concerning our 
voyage. Afterward, when we were permitted to go aboard, 
it was clear enough that the ‘ little box ’ had brought out 
the truthful testimony from all; viz., that we had been 
wrecked by running against an island of ice fourteen days 
from New York; refitted in Ireland, after which we joined 
the British convoy, and were captured by the privateers. 
After this, some of our crew, as they were returning from 
a walk where they had been viewing the prison, said that 
some of the prisoners thrust their hands through the grat¬ 
ing, to show them that they had lost the two forefingers 
and thumb of their right hand. They were a crew of 
Dutchmen, who were likewise taken, and had sworn falsely.” 

As the primary object of this sketch is to present Elder 
Bates to the reader as a true reformer, we pass over the 

16 


242 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


perils and shipwrecks, the captures and imprisonments by 
sea and on land, the scenes of great suffering and provi¬ 
dential escape, during the first eight years of his sailor 
life, up to the time he rejoined the home circle in June, 
1815. Speaking of this time he says: — 

“My father had been told by those who thought they 
knew, that if I ever did return home I would be like 
other drunken man-o’-war sailors. Our meeting quite over¬ 
came him. At length he recovered, and asked me if I 
had injured my constitution. ‘ No, father,’ I replied, ‘ I 
became disgusted with the intemperate habits of the people 
I was associated with. I have no particular desire for 
strong drink.’ This much relieved his mind.” 

In 1821 Joseph Bates became master of a vessel, and 
sailed on a voyage to South America. Not only did he 
have charge of the ship, but the cargo also was confided 
to him for sales and returns. Of his' convictions on the 
subject of total abstinence from ardent spirits, he says: — 
“While on our passage home, I was convicted of a 
serious error, in that I had for more than a year allowed 
myself to drink ardent spirits, although I had before prac¬ 
ticed entire abstinence, having become disgusted with the 
debasing and demoralizing effects of strong drink, and 
being well satisfied that drinking men were daily ruining 
themselves, and moving with rapid strides to the drunk¬ 
ard’s grave. Although I had taken measures to secure 
myself from the drunkard’s path by not allowing myself 
in any case whatever to drink more than one glass of 
ardent spirits per day, which I most strictly adhered to ; 
yet the strong desire for that one glass, when coming to 
the dinner hour, the usual time for it, was stronger than 
my appetite for food, and I became alarmed. While 
reflecting about this matter, I solemnly resolved that 
I would never drink another glass of ardent spirits 
while I lived. It is now about forty-six years since that 
important era in the history of my life, and I have no 
knowledge of ever violating that vow, having never since 
used spirits, except for medicinal purposes. This circum- 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


243 


stance gave a new spring to my whole being, and made 
me feel like a free man. Still it was considered genteel 
to drink wine in company.” 

The mind of the youthful master was evidently guarded 
from corrupting influences, and deeply impressed by a high 
and holy power. The associations in which his position 
placed him were such as to make it almost impossible for 
him to keep his solemn pledge, yet he did not waver. 
The true spirit of reform had taken hold of him, and he 
moved out still further. On the passage from Buenos 
Ayres to Lima, Peru, in 1822, he gained another victory, 
of which he speaks as follows : — 

“ As I had resolved on my previous voyage never more 
to use ardent spirits except for medicinal purposes, so 
now I also resolved that I would never drink another 
glass of wine. In this work of reform I found myself 
entirely alone, and exposed to the jeering remarks of 
those with whom I afterward became associated, especially 
when I declined drinking with them. Yet after all their 
comments, that it was not improper or dangerous to drink 
moderately, etc., they were constrained to admit that my 
course was perfectly safe.” 

While in Peru, several months after he had resolved 
to leave off wine also, our hero was severely tested. His 
statement, which follows, shows that instead of wavering 
and yielding to the pressure of associates, he took another 
firm step in reform : — 

“ Mr. Swinegar, our Peruvian merchant, gave a large 
dinner party to the captains and supercargoes of the 
American vessels, and to a number of the officers of the 
American squadron, Feb. 22, in honor of General Wash¬ 
ington’s birthday. As I was the only person at the table 
who had decided not to drink wine or strong drink because 
of its intoxicating qualities, Mr. S. stated to some of his 
friends that he would influence me to drink wine with 
him. He filled his glass, and challenged me to drink. 
I responded by filling my glass with water. He refused 
to drink unless I took the wine. I said, ‘ Mr. Swinegar, I 


244 CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 

cannot do so ; for I have fully decided never to drink 
wine.’ By this time the company were all looking at us. 
Mr. S. still waited for me to fill my glass with wane. 
Several urged me to comply with his request. One of 
the lieutenants of the squadron, some distance down the 
table, said, ‘Bates, surely you will not object to taking a 
glass of wine with Mr. Swinegar.’ I replied that I could 
not do it. I felt embarrassed and sorry that a cheerful 
company should be so intent on my drinking a glass of 
wine as almost to forget the good dinner that was before 
them. Mr. S., seeing that I would not be prevailed on 
to drink wine, pressed me no further. 

“At that time my deep convictions with respect to 
smoking cigars enabled me to decide also that from that 
evening I would never smoke another cigar, nor smoke 
tobacco in any way. This victory raised my feelings and 
elevated my mind above the fog of tobacco-smoke which 
had to a considerable extent beclouded my mind, and thus 
I was freed from an idol which I had learned to worship 
among sailors. 

“ I had now been in the Pacific Ocean about fourteen 
months, and was closing my business and preparing to 
return to the United States. The ship Candace, Capt. F. 
Burtody, was about to sail for Boston, Mass., in which 
ship I engaged my passage. Capt. B. and myself mutually 
agreed, when the Candace weighed anchor, that we would 
from that hour cease chewing tobacco. About the last 
week of November, 1823, all hands were called to weigh 
anchor. None but those who experience these feelings 
can tell the thrill that fills every soul, from the captain 
to the cabin-boy, when the order is given to ‘weigh anchor 
for home.’ No matter how many seas there are to pass, 
or how many storms to meet, or how far from home, the 
joyous feeling still vibrates in every heart, ‘Home, home, 
sweet home! Our anchor’s weighed for.home!’ 

“ Our good ship now lay by with her main topsail to 
the mast, until the boat came alongside from the commo¬ 
dore with our specie and silver, which Capt. B. and myself 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


245 


had gained by trading. When this was safe on board, all 
sail was made on the ship. It was now night, and we were 
passing our last landmark (St. Lorenzo), and putting out 
for a long voyage of eight thousand five hundred miles. 
The steward reported supper ready. ‘Here goes my to¬ 
bacco, Bates,’ said Capt. B., taking it from his mouth and 
casting it overboard. ‘And here goes mine, too,’ said I, 
and that was the last that ever polluted my lips. But 
Capt. B. failed to overcome, and labored hard to induce 
me to keep him company. I was now free from all dis¬ 
tilled spirits, wine, and tobacco. Step by ‘step I had gained 
this victory. Nature never required either, and I never 
used the articles, except to keep company with my asso¬ 
ciates. How many millions have been ruined by such 
debasing and pernicious habits! How much more like a 
human being I felt when I had gained the mastery in 
these things, and overcome them all! 

“ I was also making great efforts to conquer another 
sin, which I had learned of wicked sailors. That was the 
habit of using profane language. My father had been 
a praying man from the time I had any knowledge of 
him. My mother embraced religion when I was about 
twelve years old. I never dared, even after my marriage, 
to speak irreverently of God in the presence of my father. 
As he had endeavored to train me in the way I should 
go, I knew the way; but the checkered scenes of my sea¬ 
faring life had thrown me from the track, which I was 
trying now to regain.” 

Captain Bates reached his Massachusetts home in Feb¬ 
ruary, 1824, and remained with his family and friends 
several months. During this time a new brig named the 
Empress, of New Bedford, was launched, rigged, and fitted 
to his liking, and in August he sailed for Rio Janiero, 
touching at Richmond, Va., to finish the ship loading. 
On this passage his experience deepened, and he still 
advanced in reform. He says : — 

“ From the time I resolved to drink no more wine (in 
1822), I had occasionally drank beer and cider. But now, 


246 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


on weighing anchor from Hampton Roads, I decided from 
henceforth to drink no ale, porter, beer, or cider, of any 
description. My prospect for making a profitable and suc¬ 
cessful voyage was more flattering than my last; for I now 
owned a part of the Empress and her cargo, and had the 
confidence of my partners to sell and purchase cargoes as 
often as it would prove to our advantage, and use my judg¬ 
ment about going to what part of the world I pleased. But 
with all these many advantages to get rich, I felt sad and 
homesick. I had provided myself with a number of what I 
called interesting books, to read in my leisure hours. My 
wife thought there were more novels and romances than 
were necessary. In packing my trunk of books, she placed 
a pocket New Testament, unknown to me, on the top of 
them. On opening this trunk, I took up the New Testa¬ 
ment, and found in the opening pages the following poem 
by Mrs. Hemans, placed there to arrest my attention: — 

1 ' * Leaves have their time to fall, 

And flowers to wither at the north wind’s breath, 

And stars to set — but all, 

Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O Death ! 

' ‘ ‘ Day is for mortal care, 

Eve, for glad meetings round the joyous hearth, 

Night, for the dreams of sleep, the voice of prayer, 

But all for thee, thou mightiest of the earth. 

“ ‘Youth and the opening rose 

May look like things too glorious for decay, 

And smile at thee; but thou art not of those 
That wait the ripened bloom to seize their prey. 

“ ‘We know when moons shall wane, 

When summer birds from far shall cross the sea, 

When autumn’s hue shall tinge the golden grain, 

But who shall teach us when to look for thee ? 

“ ‘ Is it when spring’s first gale 

Comes forth to whisper where the violets lie ? 

Is it when roses in our path grow pale ? 

They have one season— all are ours to die ! 

“ ‘Thou art where billows foam ; 

Thou art where music melts upon the air; 

Thou art around us in our peaceful home; 

And the world calls us forth — and thou art there.’ 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


247 


“ These lines did arrest my attention. I read them 
again and again. My interest in novels and romances 
ceased from that hour. Among the many books, I selected 
Doddridge’s ‘ Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul/ 
This and the Bible now interested me more than all other 
books.” 

The Empress arrived at Pernambuco, Brazil, October 
30, where her commander was assailed by his associates, 
as he had been in other places, for refusing to take wine 
at dinner, as the practice was very common in South 
America : — 

“ A large company of us were dining with the Ameri¬ 
can consul, Mr. Bennet. His lady, at the head of the 
table, filled her glass, and said, ‘ Captain Bates, shall I 
have the pleasure of a glass of wine with you ? ’ I re¬ 
sponded, and filled my glass with water. Mrs. B. declined, 
unless I would fill my glass with wine. She was aware, 
from our previous acquaintance, that I did not drink wine, 
but she felt disposed to induce me to disregard my former 
resolutions. As our waiting position attracted the atten¬ 
tion of the company, one of them said, * Why, Mr. Bates, 
do you refuse to drink Mrs. Bennet’s health in a glass of 
wine ? * I replied that I did not drink wine on any 
occasion, and begged Mrs. B. to accept my offer. She 
readily condescended, and drank my health in a glass of 
wine, and I hers in a glass of water. 

“ The topic of conversation now turned on wine-drink¬ 
ing, and my course in relation to it. Some concluded 
that a glass of wine would not injure any one. True, but 
the person who drank one glass would be likely to drink 
another, and another, until there was no hope of reform. 
Said one, ‘ I wish I could do as Captain Bates does ; I 
should be much better off.’ Another supposed I was a 
reformed drunkard. Surely there was no harm in drinking 
moderately. I endeavored to convince them that the better 
way to do up the business was not to use it at all. On 
another occasion a captain said to me, ‘ You are like old Mr. 
-, of Nantucket ; he would n’t drink sweetened water ! ’ ” 


248 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


We pass over the Christian experience of Captain 
Bates, introducing only those points that seem closely 
connected with his advancement in moral reforms. It is 
sufficient here to state that in the fulfillment of resolutions 
made while on ship-board, he erected the family altar on 
his return home, and took the baptismal vow. At this 
time he suggested the first temperance society organized 
in that community, of which he speaks thus : — 

“ The same day, while we were changing our clothes, 
I solicited Elder M., who baptized me, to assist me in 
raising a temperance society. As my mind was now free 
with respect to this last duty, I was forcibly impressed 
with the importance of uniting my energies with others, to 
check, if possible, the increasing ravages of intemperance. 
Since I had ceased to use intoxicating drinks, I was con¬ 
strained to look upon it as one of the most important 
steps that I had ever taken. Hence I ardently desired 
the same blessing for those around me. Elder M. was the 
first person whom I asked to aid me in this enterprise; 
failing with him, I moved out alone, and presented my paper 
for signers. Elder G., the Congregational minister, his two 
deacons, and a few of the principal men of the place, 
readily subscribed their names, twelve or thirteen in num¬ 
ber, and forthwith a meeting was called, and the ‘Fair- 
haven Temperance Society’ was organized. 

“The majority of our little number had been sea-cap¬ 
tains, and had seen much of the debasing influence exerted 
by ardent spirits among its users, abroad and at home. 
They seemed the more ready, therefore, to give their 
names and influence to check this monster vice. Elder 
G. exclaimed, ‘ Why, Captain Bates, this is just what I 
have been wanting to see ! ’ The meeting was organized 
by choosing Captain Stephen Merihew president, and Mr. 
Charles Drew secretary. Pending the discussion in adopt¬ 
ing the constitution, it was voted that we pledge ourselves 
to abstain from the use of ardent spirits as a beverage. 
Having no precedent before us, it was voted that rum, gin, 
brandy, and whisky were ardent spirits. Wine, beer, and 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


249 

•cider were so freely used as beverages that the majority of 
our members were then unwilling to have them in the list. 
Some doubts arose with the minority whether we should 
be able to maintain the spirit of our constitution without 
abstaining from all intoxicating beverages. One of our 
members, who had always been noted for doing much for 
his visiting friends, said, ‘Mr. President, what shall I do 
when my friends come to visit me from Boston ?’ ‘Do as 
I do, Captain S.,’ said another; ‘ I have not offered my 
friends any liquor to drink in my house these ten years.’ 

‘ Oh, you are mistaken,’ said the president, ‘ it is twenty ! ’ 
This doubtless was said because the man had ceased to 
follow the fashion of treating his friends with liquor before 
others were ready to join him. 

“ Inquiry was then made whether there were any tem¬ 
perance societies then known. A statement was made that 
certain individuals in Boston had recently agreed together 
that instead of purchasing their liquor in small quantities 
at the stores, they would get it by the keg, and drink it 
in their own houses. This association was called the ‘ Keg 
Society.’ If any temperance societies had ever been organ¬ 
ized previous to the one at Fairhaven, we were unac¬ 
quainted with the fact. A short time after our organization, 
one of our number was reported to have violated his pledge. 
This he denied. ‘But you were intoxicated,’ said we. 
He declared that he had not drank anything but cider, 
and that was allowed. We were told that his wife said 
she would a great deal rather he would drink brandy ; for 
when he got drunk on cider he was much worse tempered. 
During the trial of this member, he continued to declare 
that he had not violated the letter of the constitution. 
But it was evident to the society that he had violated 
the intent and spirit of it, which he was unwilling to 
admit, nor would he even promise to reform. He was 
therefore expelled. 

“ The society now saw the necessity of amending the 
constitution by striking out the words ‘ ardent spirits,’ and 
inserting in their place, ‘ all intoxicating drinks,’ or some- 


250 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


thing else that would sustain and aid the cause. From 
this a reform was introduced, which finally resulted in the 
disuse of all intoxicating drinks, except for medicinal pur¬ 
poses. This reform gave us the name of ‘ Teetotalers.’ 

“ Before this, our temperance society had become exceed¬ 
ingly popular. Our meeting-houses, in their turn, were 
crowded with all classes to hear lectures on the subject; 
and converts, both male and female, by scores cheerfully 
pledged themselves to the temperance constitution. Many 
of the citizens of New Bedford who came to hear, also 
united with us. From thence a society was organized in 
their town, and in other places also. Arrangements were 
soon made, and a Bristol County Temperance Society was 
organized. The Massachusetts State Temperance Society 
soon followed. Temperance papers, tracts, and lecturers 
multiplied throughout the land, and opposition began to 
rage like the rolling sea, causing the tide of temperance 
to ebb awhile. Then came the ‘ Cold-Water Army,’ of 
little children from four years upward, commingling their 
simple little songs in praise of water, pure cold water — 
no beverage like unmingled cold water. Their simple, 
stirring appeals, especially when assembled in their society 
meetings, seemed to give a new impetus to the cause, 
and re-arouse their parents to the importance of total 
abstinence from all intoxicating drinks. As I examined 
my papers the other day, I saw the book containing the 
names of nearly three hundred children who had belonged 
to our Cold-Water Army at Fairhaven.” 

Captain Bates retired from the seas in the month of 
June, 1828, having acquired more than a competency. He 
immediately began to devote his time and means to moral 
reforms, and labored ardently and successfully in this way 
for about twelve years, when he became an Adventist. He 
soon entered the lecture field, laboring both as a speaker 
and writer. In the cause of what he regarded as Bible 
truth and reform he employed his means and energies 
during the remainder of his useful life, a period of thirty- 
two years. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


251 


During his long ministry, reaching from the noon of 
life to old age, he lost none of his ardor in the cause of 
moral reform. In fact, his belief that the Son of God 
would soon come, with all the holy angels, to receive his 
people and take them to a pure heaven, gave double force 
to the inspired exhortations to purity of life, and the warn¬ 
ings to be ready for the coming of that day. While 
addressing the people upon the subject of being in readi¬ 
ness to meet the Lord at his coming, we have often heard 
him apply these texts with great force : “ Take heed to 
yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged 
with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and 
so that day come upon you unawares.” “ What agree¬ 
ment hath the temple of God with idols ? for ye are the 
temple of the living God ; as God hath said, I will dwell 
in them, and walk in them ; and I will be their God, and 
they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among 
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not 
the unclean, and I will receive you, and will be a Father 
unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith 
the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, 
dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness 
of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of 
God.” “ Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and 
that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ? If any man defile 
the temple of God, him shall God destroy ; for the temple 
of God is holy, which temple ye are.” * When we expect 
a visit from friends whom we love and honor, how natural 
to put things in good order, and dress suitably for the 
occasion ! This may well illustrate the action of those 
Adventists who are really such, in adopting the rules of 
clean, pure, practical hygiene. 

Captain Bates began his table reform about the time 
he left his sea-faring life. He says: — 

“ From the year 1824, when I made my covenant with 
God, I had lived up to the principles of total abstinence 
from all intoxicating drinks, but had continued the use of 
tea and coffee, without much conviction as to their poi- 

* Luke 21:34; 2 Cor. 6:16-18; 7:1; 1 Cor. 3:16, 17. 


252 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


sonous and stimulating effects, for seven years longer. 
With my small stock of knowledge on the subject, I was 
unwilling to believe that these stimulants had any effect 
on me, until on a social visit with my wife at one of our 
neighbors’, where tea was served us somewhat stronger 
than it was our usual habit to drink. It had such an effect 
on my whole system that I could not rest or sleep until 
after midnight. I then became fully satisfied — and have 
never since seen cause to change my belief—that it was 
the tea I had drank which so affected me. From thence 
I became convicted of its injurious qualities, and discarded 
the use of it. 

“ Soon after this, on the same principle, I ceased the 
use of coffee, so that it is now about thirty years since I 
have allowed myself knowingly to taste of either. If the 
reader should ask how much I have gained in this matter, 
I answer that my health is better, my mind is clearer, 
and my conscience in this respect is void of offense.” 

The writer first met Elder Bates at his home at Fair- 
haven, Mass., in the year 1846. He had at that time 
banished flesh-meats of all kinds, grease, butter, and spices, 
from his own plate. When asked why he did not use 
these things, his usual reply was, “ I have eaten my share 
of them.” He did not mention his views of proper diet 
in public at that time, nor in private, unless questioned 
upon the subject. 

When I first became acquainted with Elder Bates, he 
was fifty-four years of age. His countenance was fair, his 
eye was clear and mild, his figure was erect and of fine 
proportions, and he was the last man to be picked out of 
the crowd as one who had endured the hardships and 
exposure of sea life, and who had come in contact with 
the demoralizing influences of such a life for more than 
a score of years. It had been eighteen years since he left 
the seas, and during that time his life of rigid temperance 
in eating, as well as in drinking, and his labors in the 
pure sphere of moral reform, had regenerated the entire 
man, body, soul, and spirit, until he seemed almost re- 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


2 53 

created for the special work to which God had called him. 
“ Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.” * 

Elder Bates was a true gentleman. A man of great 
natural firmness and independence, after twenty-one years 
of sea-faring life, a large part of the time as commander 
of rough sailors — it might be supposed that he would be 
exacting and overbearing in his efforts to reform others. 
True, he would speak what he regarded as truth with 
great freedom and boldness ; but after he had set forth 
principles, and urged the importance of obedience to them, 
he was willing to leave his hearers free to decide for them¬ 
selves. 

When many of his fellow-laborers embraced the princi¬ 
ples of health reform, and began to advocate them (about 
the year i860), he joined them in this work with great 
gladness of heart that he had sympathizers and fellow- 
workers in the cause. He now began to speak freely 
upon the subject, both in public and private. Up to 
this time he had refused all fruits and nuts because of 
the custom of eating them between meals. But when 
many of his brethren adopted only two meals a day, and 
furnished their tables with fruits and nuts, he would par¬ 
take freely of&hem with his meals. 

At a health reform convention held at Battle Creek, 
Mich., in the spring of 1871, Elder Bates, in his seventy- 
ninth year, made a speech of remarkable interest, into 
which he incorporated some items of his personal history 
and experience. He closed with the following summary 
of the benefits he had derived from adopting the princi¬ 
ples of hygienic reform : — 

“ 1. From the ruinous habits of a common sailor, by 
the help of the Lord I walked out into the ranks of sober, 
industrious, discerning men, who were pleased to employ 
and promote me in my calling, so that in the space of 
nine years I was supercargo and joint owner in the vessel 
and cargo which I commanded, with unrestricted commis¬ 
sion to go where I thought best, and continue my voyage 
as long as I should judge best, for our interest. 

* Isa. 52 : xi. 


254 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


“The morning after my arrival in New York, among 
the laborers who came on board to discharge my vessel, 
was a Mr. Davis, one of my most intimate friends during 
my imprisonment. * We had spent many hours together 
talking over our dismal position, and the dreadful state 
and ruinous habits of our fellow-prisoners, and there agreed 
that if ever we were liberated, we would labor to avoid 
the dreadful habit of intemperance, and seek for a stand¬ 
ing among sober, reflecting men. Now, aside from his 
associates, we conversed freely, and he readily admitted 
our feelings and resolutions in the past, but with sadness 
of heart acknowledged his lack of moral courage to reform ; 
and now, in this uncertain way, he was seeking for daily 
labor, when his poor state of health would admit of it. 

“ 2. When I reached this point of total abstinence, God 
in mercy arrested my attention, and on the free confession 
of my sins, he, for his dear Son’s sake, granted me his 
rich grace and pardoning mercy. 

“3. Contrary to my former convictions, that if I was 
ever permitted to live to my present age I should be a 
suffering cripple, from my early exposure in following the 
sea, thanks be to God and our dear Lord and Saviour, 
whose rich blessing ever follows every personal effort to 
reform, that I am entirely free from aches and pains, with 
the gladdening, cheering prospect that if I continue to 
reform, and forsake every wrong, I shall, with the redeemed 
followers of the Lamb, stand ‘ without fault before the 
throne of God. ’ ” 

No comment on the foregoing is needed. And it is 
hardly necessary to state that this speech, from one who 
had reached nearly fourscore years, and who could look 
back upon a long life of self-control, marked all the way 
with new victories and new joys, electrified.the audience. 
He then stood as straight as a monument, and could tread 
the side-walks as lightly as a fox. He stated that his 


♦Joseph Bates was impressed into British service in 1810. In 1812, refusing to fight 
against his country, he became a prisoner of war. He was released April 27, 1815, just 
five years from the time he was impressed. 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


255 


digestion was perfect, and that he never ate and slept 
better at any period of his life. 

Elder Bates held a large place in the hearts of his 
people. Those who knew him longest and best, esteemed 
him most highly. When his younger and most intimate 
fellow-laborers told him that his age should excuse him 
from the fatigue of itinerant life and public speaking, he 
laid off his armor as a captured officer would surrender 
his sword on the field of battle. The decision once made, 
he was as triumphant in faith and hope as before. Mrs. 
White wrote to him, recommending a nutritious diet, 
which called out the following characteristic statements 
from his pen, written in February, 1872, about forty days 
before his death : — 

“ God bless you, Sister White, for your favor of yes¬ 
terday, the 13th. You say I must have good, nutritious 
food. I learn from report that I am starving myself, and 
am withholding from my daughter, who is with me, and 
alone a good part of the time in my absence ; and that 
when I ask a blessing at my table, I ask the Lord to 
bless that which I may eat, and not that which is on the 
table. This is what I am not guilty of, nor ever was in 
all my family worship for some fifty years, but once ; and 

I do greatly marvel how my industrious neighbors found 
out this one exception. But I will tell you the circum¬ 
stance. 

“Several years ago I was with the church in Vassar, 
Tuscola Co., Mich., and was invited to address them and 
their children in a barn on the Fourth of July, and also 
to take dinner with them. The tables were soon up, and 
loaded with tempting eatables ; and I was invited to ask 
the blessing. The swine’s flesh upon the table I knew 
was abominable and unclean, and that God had positively, 
by law, forbidden the eating or touching of it. See Lev. 

II : 7, 8 {law, verse 46) ; also Deut. 14 : 1-3, 8. I therefore 
very quietly distinguished, and asked a blessing on the 
clean, nutritious, wholesome, lawful food. Some whispered, 
and some smiled, others looked, and so on. 


256 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


“ Starving, with more than enough to eat! Now allow 
me to state what, by the providence and blessing of God, 
we have in our house from which to choose a daily bill 
of fare : — 

“GRAINS. 

' ‘ 90 pounds of superfine white flour. 

“100 pounds of graham flour. 

“5 bushels of choice garden corn. 

“Pop and sweet corn in abundance. 

“Cornmeal, rice, and oatmeal. 

“Cornstarch, butter, sugar, salt. 

'' VEGETABLES. 

' ‘ Three varieties of potatoes. 

‘' Sweet turnips, parsnips, squashes. 

“Two varieties of onions. 

* ‘ FRUITS. 

“11 cans of preserved sweet peaches. 

‘ ‘ 6 cans of sweet grapes. 

“Strawberries preserved and dried. 

“Quince and grape jelly. 

“Tomatoes by the jug. 

“20 pounds of dried sweet peaches. 

‘' Box of Isabella grapes, almost consumed. 

' * Three varieties of apples and quinces. 

“ But the people say, and think they know what they 
say, that he refuses to furnish his table with tea and coffee. 
That’s true ! They are poison. Some thirty-five years ago 
I was using both tea and coffee. After retiring from a 
tea-party at midnight, my companion said, ‘What is the 
matter ? Can’t you lie quiet and sleep ? ’ ‘ Sleep ! no,’ I 

said. ‘Why not?’ was the next question. ‘Oh! I wish 
Mrs. Bunker’s tea had been in the East Indies. It’s poison.’ 
Here I forever bade adieu to tea and coffee. After awhile 
my wife joined me, and we banished them from our table 
and dwelling. That’s the reason they are not on my 
table. 

“ They say, too, that this man does not allow any 
ardent spirits or strong drink in his house. That’s true. 
Please hear my reason : Fifty years ago I was by myself 
on the boundless ocean. My thoughts troubled me. Said 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


25 7 


I to Him who always hears, ‘ I ’ll never drink another 
glass of grog or strong drink while I live.’ That’s why I 
have no intoxicating drink on or about my premises. 

“Well, there is another thing that he is fanatical about,, 
and differs from more than half his country-men. What is 
that? — He will not have about him nor use any tobacco.. 
Guilty! My reason: Forty-eight years ago I was away 
toward the setting sun ; our gallant ship was plowing her 
way through the great Pacific. During the nightwatch we 
were called to take some refreshment. I then tossed my 
chew of tobacco into the ocean, never, no, never, to touch,, 
taste, or handle any more. And allow me to say that 
when I had gained the victory over this deadening, besot¬ 
ting, benumbing vice, I went on deck the next morning 
a better man than ever I was in all my former life. 
Why? — I was free. I could appreciate God’s handiwork 
in sea and sky, even in the tumbling, rolling waves. I 
could breathe freely, inhaling the pure air of heaven, and 
shout. I was a free man. 

“ Therefore, if any demand is ever made on me for 
tobacco, tea, coffee, or strong drink of any kind that 
intoxicates, they must present an order from the Court 
above. 

“ Here comes half a barrel of graham crackers, and a 
lot of farina, a national breadstuff of the native South 
Americans. I think I am now well supplied with good,, 
nutritious food. And if there is any lack, I have some 
good, faithful brethren who seem to be waiting to serve me. 

“ I am your brother, now on retired pay in Monterey,,, 
Mich. “Joseph Bates. 

“ Feb. 14 , 1872” 

Elder Joseph Bates died at Battle Creek, Mich., March 
19, 1872, in the eightieth year of his age. His last hours, 
though characterized by pain such as few men have been 
called upon to pass through, afforded marked evidence 
of the superiority of faith in Christ over bodily suffering 
and the prospect of certain and rapidly approaching death. 

17 


258 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


Having in early manhood chosen the service of God, and 
having for many years faithfully endeavored to live the 
life of the righteous, his last end was such as those alone 
can expect who have sedulously endeavored to preserve 
a conscience void of offense toward God and man. 

As we close this sketch, we are impressed with the 
words of Paul, prompted by a review of his own past life, 
and the reward of the glorious future : “ I have fought a 
good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the 
faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of 
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall 
give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all 
them also that love his appearing.” 


ELDER J. N. ANDREWS. 

John Nevins Andrews was born at Poland, Maine, July 
22, 1829. His paternal ancestors were among the early 
colonists of this country, having landed at Plymouth eight¬ 
een years after the arrival of the Mayflower, and settled 
at Taunton, Mass. In the Indian wars that followed, nearly 
the entire family were massacred. As the male members 
of the family, with the exception of one sick boy, who 
remained at home, were at work in a field, the Indians 
surprised them, and got between them and their guns. 
They were men of high stature, and of great physical 
strength ; and in their determination to sell their lives as 
dearly as possible, they tore up trees of considerable size, 
and used them as weapons. But the contest was unequal, 
and the well-armed Indians killed them all. 

“ Both my grandfathers,” says Elder Andrews, in a 
sketch from his own pen, “ served in the Revolutionary 
War. Their names were David Andrews and John Nevins. 
The name of the latter was given to me. Grandfather 
Nevins was a man remarkable for his piety and kindness 
of heart. He lived to be very aged. 



AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


259 

“ My earliest religious conviction was at the age of 
five years, when I heard a discourse by Daniel B. Randall 
from these words: ‘And I saw a great white throne, and 
Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the 
heaven fled away.’ So vivid was the impression made 
upon my mind that I have rarely read the passage with¬ 
out remembering that discourse. But it was not until I 
was thirteen years old that I found the Saviour. This 
was in January, 1843. I then became deeply interested 
in the doctrine of Christ’s near coming, and I have ever 
since cherished this faith.” 

Elder Andrews entered upon the work of the Christian 
ministry in 1850, at the age of twenty-one, and for twenty- 
seven years has been a close fellow-laborer and an intimate 
friend of the writer. He is tall, with slender chest and 
massive brain. When he entered the ministry, he was 
afflicted with sore throat and a cough, and it was the 
general opinion among his friends that consumption would 
terminate his life in a few years. His thirst for education 
was great, yet he could spare neither the time nor the 
means to take a regular course in school. 

His labors as a preacher and writer have been exces¬ 
sive, and he has taxed his strength severely by continuous 
study. Yet his health has been improving since 1864, 
when his attention was called to the subject of health 
reform. As we have before stated, his prospects for life 
and health, when he entered the ministry in 1850, were 
most gloomy. And that he should recover health while 
laboring intensely hard, depriving himself of seasons of 
recreation, and frequently cutting short the proper periods 
of sleep, furnishes the strongest proof of the benefits of 
hygienic reform. 

In 1871 a personal friend requested him to write his 
experience for another friend in Providence, R. I. Of this 
request Elder Andrews says : — 

“ In asking me to write directly to his friend, my cor¬ 
respondent truthfully remarks that ‘many people will 
not believe what appears in papers or periodicals, but a 


26 o 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


personal account will always suffice to remove old preju¬ 
dices.’ Now there is a reason for this unbelief and dis¬ 
trust that is certainly very weighty. The press teems 
with accounts of wonderful cures wrought by such and 
such medicines ; and the point of each statement is this: 
‘If you would have health, buy this marvelous remedy.’ 
Sensible people long ago decided that these certificates 
were in the great majority of cases entirely unreliable, 
and that they were formed for the manifest purpose of 
enriching the proprietor of ‘ the matchless sanative ’ that 
they respectively extol. 

“Now, why should not health reformers be as generally 
and as promptly discredited as should the venders of the 
various ‘ magic cordials ’ and ‘ healing balsams ’ everywhere 
offered ‘ for the relief of suffering humanity’ ? They should, 
if they can be justly classed together. And if the same 
principle governs the action of each, then let them share 
in the same condemnation. 

“ But observe the contrast: The advocates of the hy¬ 
gienic system declare, as a fundamental principle, that 
health can be regained or preserved only upon condition 
that we ‘cease to do evil and learn to do well;’ while 
the dealers in the aforesaid wonderful preparations sev¬ 
erally state, as one of the most convincing reasons for 
the use of their respective medicines, that ‘no change of 
diet or of habits of life is required in order to be bene¬ 
fited by this wonderful remedy.’ 

“The first party declares that the restorative power 
exists only in the vital forces which God has given us ; 
the other, that it is to be found in drugs. The one affirms 
that the restorative power within ourselves can alone give 
us health, but will do it only upon condition of abstinence 
from wrong habits, and of simple obedience to the laws of 
our being. But the other replies in derision, ‘This is all 
humbug; you may eat, drink, and act as you will, with¬ 
out any danger of evil consequences, provided you freely 
use my healing balm.’ 

“Which of these parties is entitled to our confidence ? 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


26 l 

One of them asks no money, but insists that we govern 
ourselves by the laws which the Author of our being has 
established within our own organization. The other bids 
us freely disobey, and promises us immunity from evil 
consequences on condition that we use the medicines which 
they desire us to buy at their hands. 

“We know which of these two kinds of teaching is 
the more enticing to the multitudes ; but would it not be 
well to ask which is the more reasonable ? One of them 
declares that obedience to the laws of life is the one con¬ 
dition upon which we can have health. The other asserts 
that God has provided means whereby men may deliber¬ 
ately disobey those laws, and yet escape the consequences 
of that disobedience ; and that that means is something 
known only to the ones who say this, and to be had only 
on condition that you pay them well for it. On which 
side are reason and common sense ? on that of self-control, 
or on that of self-indulgence? And which of these two 
classes is attempting to get your money upon false pre¬ 
tenses ? 

“I am a firm believer in the principles of health reform. 
I have cause to be such. My judgment is convinced that 
its principles are reasonable, and just, and true. More¬ 
over, I have proved them true by the test of actual 
experience. In this thing, therefore, I speak not merely 
that which I have heard, but I also testify that which I 
know. I believed in the health reform when I first learned 
its principles, because to me they were self-evident truths. 
But there is no teacher like experience. Ever after I was 
first instructed in this system, I believed it to be true; 
but the experience of seven years enables me to speak 
now as one who knows whereof he affirms. 

“I do not attempt to instruct the people in physio¬ 
logical and hygienic science. There are plenty to do this 
who are fully competent to the task. I speak rather as 
members of the church bear testimony after the sermon of 
their pastor, not to give instruction in the doctrines set 
forth, but to declare that I have proved these very things 


262 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


to be true, and to testify that I know the certainty of that 
wherein we have been instructed. 

“ And why should I not speak with much assurance ? 
I know what were the difficulties under which I labored 
eight years ago, and I well understand that my present 
condition is in marked contrast to my state at that time. 
Then I was a feeble man from head to foot. Now I have 
found entire relief from all the difficulties under which I 
suffered, and in God’s merciful providence have excellent 
health. 

“ I can hardly recall any period of my early life in 
which I was a possessor of firm health. In boyhood, my 
growth was rapid, but I never saw the time when my 
physical strength was fully equal to that of most of those 
of my years. I loved severe study much more ardently 
than I did any of the sports and pastimes of my asso¬ 
ciates. From my earliest childhood I was taught to shun 
evil associates, and was warned against intemperance in 
every form in which my parents understood it to exist; 
but I was not instructed in the principles of hygiene, for 
neither my father nor my mother had any just knowledge 
of these. 

“ I was kept from the use of tobacco, and from even 
tasting strong drink ; but I learned almost nothing of the 
evils of unwholesome food — at least, of such as was com¬ 
mon in our own family. I did not know that late suppers, 
and ‘hearty’ ones at that, were serious evils. I had no 
idea of any special transgression in eating between meals ; 
and though this was mostly confined to fruit, I did herein 
ignorantly transgress to a very considerable extent. I 
supposed old cheese was good to aid digestion ! Do not 
smile at my folly ; unless my memory is at fault, I had 
learned this out of ‘ standard medical works.’ As to 
mince-pie and sausage, I had no thought that these were 
unwholesome, unless too highly seasoned, or, as it was 
termed, ‘made too rich! Hot biscuit and butter, dough¬ 
nuts, pork in every form, pickles, preserves, tea, coffee, etc.,, 
etc., were all in common use. Of ventilation I understood 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


263 

almost nothing. And I might continue to enumerate the 
particulars of my ignorance of vital hygienic truth, but it 
would be easier to tell what I knew than to attempt to 
mention that which I ought to have known but did not. 

“ But I must also expose my ignorance, by confessing 
that I had little other idea of headache, dyspepsia, nausea, 
fevers, etc., than that these were, for the most part, wholly 
beyond our control, and that, like the various phenomena 
of nature, they were ordered by God’s hand, and man had 
generally no agency therein. Do not smile at this strange 
notion. It is strange, indeed, that such ideas should pre¬ 
vail ; but that they do prevail, even now, you may satisfy 
yourself by calling out the ideas of the very next person 
you meet. 

“ When I entered the Christian ministry, at the age 
of twenty-one, I did not enjoy firm health. Though in 
no sense an intemperate man, as the word is commonly 
used, I did, nevertheless, have no just idea of Christian 
temperance. However much I lacked in other respects, I 
did not lack in zeal to labor in the work I had under¬ 
taken ; and I think I may say in truth that I felt in some 
degree the responsibility of my calling. My anxiety of 
mind was constant, and oftentimes extreme. Associated 
with a few others in the defense, or rather in the attempt 
to advance, an unpopular truth, there fell to my lot a 
heavy burden of anxious care, and the necessity of much 
overtaxing labor, oftentimes requiring not the day merely, 
but much, or even all, of the night. 

“ But one cannot violate the laws of his being, even in 
the best of causes, without suffering the consequences; 
and so I found, to my own cost. Had I understood the 
laws of life in the right use of food, and in the principles 
of hygiene generally, I could have gone longer than I did 
in the exhausting labor which I attempted to sustain. But, 
in short, my story is this : In less than five years I was 
utterly prostrated. My voice was destroyed, I supposed 
permanently; my eyesight was considerably injured ; I 
could not rest by day, and I could not sleep well at night; 


264 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


I was a serious sufferer from dyspepsia ; and as to that 
mental depression which attends this disease, I think I 
have a sufficient acquaintance with it to dispense with it 
in time to come, if right habits of life will enable one to 
do so. On arising in the morning it was very generally 
the case that the sensation in my stomach was as though 
a living creature were devouring it. Often, without appar¬ 
ent reason, very great prostration would come over me. 
My brain, from severe taxation and from ignorance on 
my part of the proper manner of performing brain labor, 
had become much diseased, and seemed to be undergoing 
the process called ‘ softening.’ It was only at times that 
I could perform mental labor to any extent. I was con¬ 
siderably troubled with salt-rheum, which made the middle 
finger of each hand raw on both sides much of the time. 
I had plenty of headache, though I thought little of that. 
But I had one difficulty which made life a heavy burden 
to me. I had catarrh to such an extent that my head 
seemed to be incurably diseased. I will not describe its dis¬ 
agreeable peculiarities, but will simply say that I have not 
often seen persons who have it in so very bad a form as 
mine. No other ill of life ever gave me such trouble as 
this. My general strength was prostrated ; I was a burden 
to myself, and could not but be such to others. 

“ Some nine years of my life elapsed after my general 
prostration, before I learned anything of consequence 
respecting the subject of health reform. During this time, 
from laying aside mental labor to a large extent, and 
working in the open air, I had received considerable ben¬ 
efit so far as my general strength was concerned. But I 
need not further state my own troubles in the past. Thank 
God that I can say ‘in the past! For the opportunity to 
say this, I am indebted to the health reform.” 

In the Health Reformer for 1872, Elder Andrews 
related his own experience and that of his family in 
adopting health reform. From his narrative we quote: — 

“My attention was especially called to this subject in 
the early part of 1864. At that time my son Charles, who 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


265 


was then six years of age, was in a very critical condition. 
His left leg was withered its entire length, and was much 
smaller than his right one. Fortunately, however, it was 
not shorter than the other. His left ankle was greatly 
enlarged from a scrofulous deposit, which was almost as 
hard as bone. The ankle joint was therefore almost en¬ 
tirely stiff. In hobbling along, for he could not be said 
to walk, he turned his foot as far round as the foot can 
be turned, so that the toe was something more than at a 
right angle with the other foot, and actually pointed back. 
His general health was much impaired. He complained 
much at night of pain in his back. His difficulties began 
when he was about two years of age, and gradually reached 
the state which I have described. My wife and I 
were deeply distressed. We often prayed God to teach 
us what to do. We had our son examined by physicians 
and surgeons, but they were quite at a loss what to say 
to us.” 

It was finally decided to place the child where he 
could receive hygienic treatment. Elder Andrews con¬ 
tinues : — 

“Fifteen weeks of strict hygienic living and of judi¬ 
cious water treatment wrought in my son a change little 
short of miraculous. He walked in a natural manner, the 
enlargement of the ankle joint had nearly disappeared, 
and the withered leg had begun to grow. He continued 
to gain in health and strength, for his mode of life at 
home was the same as that under which such great 
changes had been wrought. His health became firm, and 
his left leg became equal in size and strength to the right. 
He has possessed vigorous health to the present time. 
When we placed him under hygienic treatment, his mother 
and myself determined to fully adopt the principles of 
health reform, and this we did in serious earnest, not 
with any particular expectation of benefit to ourselves, but 
because it seemed plainly right. I certainly had no idea of 
any manifest personal advantage in the recovery of my own 
health. 


266 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE 


“ We adopted the two-meal system, and have strictly 
adhered to it till the present time. We put away from 
our table, spice, pepper, vinegar, etc. We also put away 
butter, meat, and fish, and substituted graham for fine flour. 
But we endeavored to secure plenty of good fruit, and, 
with our vegetables and grains, we have always used some 
milk and a very little salt. We have strictly abstained 
from eating anything except in connection with our meals, 
and have taught our children to act on this plan. For a 
space of time we took a brief season for rest each day, 
before the second meal. This plan of rest-hour, however, 
we have not regularly followed for several years past, but 
have occasionally regarded it, as necessity has demanded. 
But we have tried faithfully to follow the hygienic system 
in every essential point. And now to state its conse¬ 
quences in my own case : — 

“ i. One of the first results which I observed upon the 
change made in my diet, was that my food had once more 
the keen relish which I can remember it possessed in my 
childhood, but which it had long since lost. 

“ 2. Headache, dizziness, nausea, and the like, were gone. 

“ 3. But several months elapsed before I found any 
increase of strength. Nor is this strange when I state 
that, though I made so great a change in my living, and 
withal omitted the third meal, I did, nevertheless, continue 
my labors as before the change. But after some months 
I became sensible of an increase of strength, and this 
continued to be the case till I could say in strict truth 
that I possessed greater strength and power of endurance 
than at any former period of my life. 

“4. One of the immediate consequences of omitting my 
third meal was entire freedom from morning faintness. 
When I dispensed with suppers, I also closed my acquaint¬ 
ance with what seemed to be a living creature gnawing in 
my stomach each morning before breakfast. I thus found 
that it was not the lack of food of which my stomach com¬ 
plained, but quite the reverse. It had toiled all night to 
dispose of the supper, when it should have had rest. 


AND BIBLE HYGIENE. 


26 / 

“ 5. And as to the strength derived from a hygienic 
diet, I have this testimony to bear, that whereas I often 
suffered from faintness under the common method of living, 
I have no recollection of one case of this kind in my own 
experience for the whole period of my present course of 
life. I have often remarked that I can omit one of my 
two meals with less inconvenience than formerly I could 
one of the three. 

“ 6 . As the direct consequence of omitting unhygienic 
articles from my diet, my salt-rheum has wholly disap¬ 
peared. Boils used to be frequent with me, but I have 
not had one in eight years. And the painful sores which 
came upon my under lip every few weeks in former years, 
have absolutely discontinued their visitations. These things 
I attribute largely to the entire disuse of butter. 

“ 7. When I adopted the health reform, I had, as I 
supposed, an incurable catarrh. I was ignorant of the 
fact that it was caused by an inability of the liver to 
keep up with its work while its owner was continually 
taking into the stomach substances which would vastly 
increase its work beyond the design of the Creator. But 
after some months of correct living, especially in the matter 
of diet, I found some intervals of relief from the terrible 
scourge. Then it seemed as bad as ever. Then after a 
time there came a longer period of relief. Then again a 
relapse, and then a still longer season of freedom. So it 
continued for nearly two years, when to my great joy it 
ceased to come back at all. 

“ I owe to God a debt of gratitude for the health re¬ 
form, which I can never repay or even fully express. It 
is to me something sacred, constituting, as Christian tem¬ 
perance, an essential part of true religion. In one respect 
only do I knowingly allow myself to transgress, and that 
is in the endeavor to discharge the responsibilities which 
devolve upon me, which sometimes requires a large part 
of the twenty-four hours. Yet with the strength derived 
from correct living in other respects, I hope not to destroy 
myself by thus laboring at times beyond what I would 
approve in secular business.” 


268 


CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE. 


[Some years after the paragraphs above quoted were 
written, Elder Andrews went to Switzerland, where he 
labored most arduously for many years in the establish¬ 
ment of the Central European Mission, located at Basle. 
While he lived, almost the entire burden of this important 
work rested upon his shoulders ; and under the pressure 
of great responsibility, cares, and duties to which he had 
not been accustomed, and of the new and perplexing 
difficulties incident to pioneer work in a foreign field, the 
disposition to labor far beyond his strength, which for 
many years had led him to deprive himself of proper 
opportunity for sleep and recreation, was indulged even 
to a greater extent than in previous years. In addition 
to this extraordinary strain upon his physical powers, he 
was in a new country, where health principles were little 
known, and was surrounded with most unfavorable con¬ 
ditions as regards diet, ventilation, and the disposal of 
waste. For years the house in which he lived was thor¬ 
oughly permeated with sewer-gas. Surrounded thus with 
conditions most inimical to health, it is not surprising that 
Elder Andrews finally succumbed to the pressure of un¬ 
toward circumstances. Oct. 21, 1883, at the age of fifty-five 
years, he died of consumption, after battling for more than 
three years with the disease. He continued his labors 
almost to the very close of his life. Few men have left 
behind them a record of greater purity of life, or of more 
earnest effort for Christ and humanity. His indefatigable 
labors did more, perhaps, than those of any other man, 
to develop the Bible evidence of the views advocated by 
this people; and the debt of gratitude which we owe 
him should lead us to study earnestly the principles that 
he loved so well, and to emulate his noble example in a 
life of temperance and self-sacrifice, and of devotion to 
the good of others.] 














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